












Class : S p Lj. g 7 

Book_C ^ ?•/ 

Copyright N° 


COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 






Copyright, July, 1903. 

By 

CYPHERS INCUBATOR COMPANY, 

BUFFALO, N. Y. 

Boston, Mass., New York City. 
All Rights Reserved. 


Chicago, Ill., 



-V 


Baby Chicks In Brooders, Fairview Farm. 



Chickens in the Blackberry Patch, Fairview Farm. 



Pallets in the Cornfield, Fairview Farm. 


Growing the Future Layers. 

H. J. Blanchard's Fairview Farm, Groton, N. Y. 

























Profitable Egg Farming. 


A Practical Book; Telling What To Do and How To Do it to make a 
Success of this Profitable Branch of the Poultry Business; Describes many 
of the Large and Successful Egg Farms and the Methods Employed on them, 
with many Valuable Pointers on Breeding for Eggs and Feeding for Eggs. 


FULLY ILLUSTRATED. 


PRICK FIFTY CKNTS. 


PUBLISHED BY 

CYPHERS INCUBATOR COMPANY. 

\ \ 

BUFFALO, N. Y. 

1903. 


Book No. 4 Cypher* Series on Practical Poultry Keeping. 


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THE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 


Two Copies Receiver.' 

JUL 25 1903 

_Copytignt Entry J 

Judy 2,K)o3 
CUSS / CL YXc. No 

c> 3 i ry 


PUBLISHER'S NOTE. 


j 'HIS is Book No. 4, of the Cyphers Series on “Practical Poultry Keeping," 
j ^ and treats of "Profitable Egg Farming." It tells how to make a 
3 ) success of this branch of the poultry business, and describes some 
of the large plants and the methods employed on them. It contains many 
valuable pointers on breeding for eggs and feeding for eggs. 


Book No. 1 of the series is “Profitable Poultry Keeping in All Branches," 
and treats in a general manner of what is being done, how to start, prac¬ 
tical breeds, egg farms, market poultry, combination farms, standard-bred 
poultry and the use of incubators. 

Book No. 2, is “Profitable Care and Management " It covers the whole 
field of work with poultry r from the egg to eggs. It tells the reader what 
to do and how to do it. 


Book No. 3, on “Profitable Poultry Houses and Appliances," gives plans 
and specifications for poultry houses in sufficient variety to meet the needs of 
all, and tells in detail about many necessary and useful poultry plant 
appliances. 

Book No. 5, “ Profitable Market Poultry," tells all about growing, kill¬ 
ing, dressing and selling market poultry, including squab-broilers, broilers, 
roasters, capons, green ducks, turkeys and geese. 

We have endeavored to make these books thoroughly practical and suitable 
alike for the beginner and the veteran in the poultry business. They are 
thoroughly- up-to-date and contain the best and most reliable information that 
is obtainable on the subjects treated. 


CYPHERS INCUBATOR CO. 


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11 profit from poultry starts from the 
egg. hence the production of eggs is 
the very foundation of a profitable 
poultry business. Whether a 
man markets the eggs himself or produces 
eggs for the general market, or whether he 
turns the eggs into chickens and market' the 
chickens, it is obvious that eggs are the founda¬ 
tion of all the profit he derives from his poultry 
work. 

In this book it is our purpose to tell some of 
the methods of profitable poultry work, the 
special purpose being the eggs-for-market side 
of the business; and the various phases of breed¬ 
ing for eggs, feeding for eggs, the best methods 
to employ for the best profit from egg pro¬ 
duction. the care, handling and marketing of 
the product, etc., will be considered. It is ob¬ 
vious at the outset, however, that in such a 
book as this we cannot go into the discussion of 
all phases of this important question, nor need 
we concern ourselves with such lesser questions 
as eggs in literature, eggs in mythology, or 
superstitions about’ eggs. etc., etc., however 
interesting they may be. 

The great bulk of the eggs produced are 
either utilized in the hatching of chickens or 
consumed as human food and in the very 
numerous ways of preparing human food, and 
we write this with full recognition of the great 
quantities of eggs that are consumed in man¬ 
ufactures.the arts. etc.; great as is the use of eggs 
for many other purposes probably more than 
nine-tenths of all eggs produced the world 
over are consumed as human food. 


The Uses of Eggs. 

Eggs form an economical and nourishing food 
and are a staple article of diet with nearly even' 
family in the land. The housewife could almost 
as well do without her kitchen range and cook¬ 


ing utensils as do without eggs. There is no 
other branch of the poultry business which holds 
out such promise or assures so good a profit in 
return for a little common sense work as the 
production of fresh eggs. There are few places 
where eggs cannot be profitably produced: if 
not sold to the local market the}' can be readily 
shipped to the large markets, even at a consider¬ 
able distance from the point of production; 
there is no other farm product that can be so 
easily packed and shipped to market. The 
chief requisite in building up a trade in fresh 
eggs is to establish a reputation for handling 
only the best: the consumers will do the rest. 
In some markets brown eggs are preferred above 
the white one>. while in others the white ones 
are the more salable. But in nearly all markets 
it will be found best to grade the eggs, packing 
only those of one color and quality in a case, as 
better prices are often obtained by so doing. 
When eggs are received by the wholesaler they 
are inspected and candled before being sent out 
to consumers. This testing or candling is done 
by passing the egg before a strong electric light, 
which is placed behind an egg testing device in 
which are two holes before which the operator 
rapidly passes the eggs, determining their quali¬ 
ty and relative freshness by their appearance 
as they are passed before the light. Only per¬ 
fect eggs are sold. Those which have been 
cracked or which have very dirty shells are 
canned and frozen. Such canned eggs are sold 
to the large baking establishments at a price 
considerably lower than that paid for fresh eggs. 
Some of these frozen eggs are also sold to the 
tenement house family trade. It has been 
found that these frozen eggs cannot be success¬ 
fully used in making custards unless they are 
previously passed through a fine sieve. 

Even the spoiled and rotten eggs find a 
market. Millions of tainted eggs are used each 


5 













































PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


year in dressing the leather for gloves and in 
book-binding. They are also used extensively 
in the preparation of shoe blacking, mucilage 
and other manufactures; besides these uses 
many millions are also used for clarifying wine, 
and in calico print works, and in the preparation 
of photographer’s paper, and by dye manu¬ 
facturers. 

In the time of low prices when the supply of 
eggs exceeds the demand at a good figure, the 
eggs are stored in considerable quantities in 
cold storage houses, to be held against the season 
of scarcity when they bring better prices. 
These cold storage rooms are kept at a tem¬ 
perature of from 33 to 34 degrees, and eggs will 
keep in reasonably good condition in such 
rooms for six or eight months. Eggs from birds 
which have not been running with the male are 
best for storage purposes as they are not fertil¬ 
ized, and “April” eggs are quoted at higher 
prices than those stored in summer. 

The introduction to Farmers’ Bulletin No. 
128. published by the V. S. Department of 
Agriculture, on “ Eggs and Their Uses as Food,” 
says: “Perhaps no article of diet of animal 
origin is more commonly eaten in all countries 
or served in a greater variety of ways than eggs. 
Hens’ eggs are most common, although the eggs 
of ducks, geese, and guinea fowls are used to a 
greater or less extent. More rarely turkeys’ 
eggs are eaten, but they are generally of greater 
value for hatching.” ******** 

“ Eggs are especially rich in protein (the 
nitrogenous ingredient of food). This material 
is required by man to build and repair the 
tissues of the body. Some energy is also fur¬ 
nished by protein, but fats and carbohydrates 
supply the greater part of the total amount 
needed. Combining eggs with flour and sugar 
(carbohydrates) and butter, cream, etc. (fat), 
is perhaps an unconscious effort to prepare a 
food which shall more nearly meet the require¬ 
ments of the bodv than either ingredient alone. 
When eggs, meat, fish, cheese, or other similar 
foods rich in protein are eaten, such other foods 
as bread, butter, potatoes, etc., are usually 
served at the same time, the object being, even 
if the fact is not realized, to combine the differ¬ 
ent classes of nutrients into a suitable diet. 
The wisdom of such combination, as well as of 
other generally accepted food habits, was proved 
long ago by practical experience. The reason 
has been more slowly learned.” 


The Place of Eggs in the Diet. 

“ Eggs are used in nearly every household in 
some one form or another, in varying amounts. 
From the results of the numerous dietary studies 
made under the auspices of this Department 
and by the agricultural experiment stations, 
it has been calculated that on an average eggs 
furnish 3 per cent, of the total food. 5.9 per cent, 
of the total protein,and 4.3 per cent, of the total 
fat used per man per day. Cheese was found 
to furnish 0.4 per cent, of the total food, 1.6 
per cent, of the total protein, and 1.6 per cent, 
of the total fat, while the milk and cream to¬ 
gether furnish 19.9 per cent, of the total food, 

10.5 per cent, of the total protein, and 10.7 per 
cent, of the total fat. Milk and cream together 
also furnish some carbohydrates, while eggs 
and cheese furnish no appreciable amount of 
this group of nutrients. Considering some of 
the common meats, beef and veal together 
were found to furnish 10.3 per cent, of the total 
food, 24.6 per cent, of the total protein, and 

19.5 per cent, of the total fat. The correspond¬ 
ing values for mutton and lamb together were 
1.4, 3.3 and 3.8 per cent. 

“It will be seen that, judged by available 
statistics, eggs compared favorably with the 
more common animal foods, as regards both the 
total food material and the total protein and 
fat furnished by them in the average daily 
dietary. In other words, investigations show 
that the high food value of eggs is appreciated 
and that they constitute one of the very im¬ 
portant articles of diet in the American house¬ 
hold. 

“Many families of moderate means make a 
practice of buying fresh meat for but one meal a 
day—i. e., dinner, using for breakfast either 
bacon, dried beef, codfish, or left-over meats, 
etc., and for lunch or supper, bread and butter 
and the cold meat and other foods remaining 
from the other two meals, with perhaps the 
addition of cake and fresh or preserved fruit. 
It is the thrifty housekeeper, who uses all her 
material as economically as possible in some 
such way, who is likely to fall into the error of 
excluding eggs at higher prices almost entirely 
from her food supply. If her economy was 
directed principally to restricting the use of 
eggs in the making of rich dessert dishes, 
cake, and pastry, one might not only refrain 
from criticising but welcome the circumstances 
which necessitated the making of simple and 


6 


INTRODUCTORY. 


therefore more wholesome desserts. But usu¬ 
ally the housekeeper economizes by the more 
obvious method of omitting to serve them as a 
meat substitute. 

“ The statement so frequently made by house¬ 
keepers that eggs at 25 cents a dozen are cheaper 
than meat is true in one sense. Not of course, 
with reference to the total amount of nutrients 
obtained for the mon£v expended, but because 
a smaller amount of money is needed to furnish 
the meal. That is to say, whereas at least Im¬ 
pounds of beefsteak, costing 25 cents, at 20 
cents per pound, would be necessary to serve 
five adults; in many families five eggs, costing 
10 cents, at 25 cents per dozen, would serve the 
same number and probably satisfy them 
equally well. If the appetites of the family 
are such as to demand two eggs per person, 
doubling the cost, it is still 20 per cent, less than 
the steak. Many persons eat more than two 
eggs at a meal, but the average number per 
person it is believed does not generally exceed 
two in most families. A hotel chef is authority 
for the statement that at least oneMialf the 
orders he receives are for one egg. Frequently 
when omelets, souffles, creamed eggs, and other 
similar dishes, are served in place of fried, 
poached, or boiled eggs or meat, less than one 
egg per person is used. 

“These statements must not be understood 
as advocating a free use of eggs at any price, but 
merely as pointing out that even at the higher 
prices the occasional use of eggs in place of 
meat need not be regarded as a luxury.” 

Description and Composition of Eggs. 

“Size. The eggs of different kinds of domes¬ 
tic poultry vary in size as well as appearance, 
and there is also a considerable range in the 
size of eggs of different breeds; thus, hens’ eggs 
range from the small ones laid by bantams to 
the large ones laid by such breeds as Light 
Brahmas. On an average, a hen’s egg is 2.27 
inches in length and 1.72 inches in diameter or 
width at the broadest point, and weighs about 
2 ounces, or 8 eggs to the pound (1£ pounds per 
dozen). Generally speaking, the eggs of pullets 
are smaller than those of old hens, those of 
ducks somewhat larger than hens’ eggs, while 
those of turkeys and geese are considerably 
larger. Guinea eggs, on an average, measure 
1 ^ by H inches, are rather pointed at one end, 
and weigh about 1.4 ounces each, or 17 ounces 
to the dozen. Goose eggs weigh about 5.5 to 


6.7 ounces each, or about 5 pounds to the dozen 
—that is, more than three times as much as 
hens’ eggs. The eggs of wild birds are said to 
be smaller than those of the same species when 
domesticated. Wild ducks’ eggs are said to be 
on an average, 1.97 to 2.17 inches in diameter, 
domestic ducks’ eggs 2.36 to 2.56 inches. 

“ Composition .—The shells of hens’ eggs 
constitute about 11 per cent., the yolk 32 per 
cent, and the white 57 per cent., of the total 
weight of the egg. According to tests made at 
the New York Experiment Station, white- 
shelled eggs have a somewhat heavier shell than 
brown-shelled eggs.” 

Increase of Eggs. 

The last U. S. Census Report says: 

The increase in total egg production is a fair 
index to the growth of the poultry and egg in¬ 
dustry in the several states during the past 
decade. In the North Atlantic division the 
increase in eggs was 37.5 per cent., Rhode Island 
leading with a gain of 59.2 per cent. In the 
South Atlantic division the increase was 59.1 
per cent., West Virginia showing a gain of 73.8 
per cent. The production of eggs in the North 
Central division exceeded the product returned 
in 1890 by 54.5 per cent. Minnesota with a 
gain of 112.3 per cent., and North Dakota with 
109.4 per cent., showing the greatest progress. 
The South Central division gained 80.8 per 
cent. Oklahoma returned but 989,625 dozens 
in 1890, when the territory was just opened to 
settlement, and the figures for the present 
census, 13,724,900 dozens, showed a gain of 
1,286.9 per cent. Tennessee and Kentucky 
both showed decreases in number of fowls, but 
increases of 37.3 per cent, and 43.1 per cent, 
respectively in egg production, proving con¬ 
clusively that the industry prospered there, as 
already explained. 

The Western division, with its almost unpar¬ 
alleled advance in all lines of agricultural in¬ 
dustry, gained 112.3 per cent, in egg production. 
Idaho and Montana made the greatest progress, 
the gain for the former being 290.3 per cent, 
and for the latter, 260.0 per cent. 

The total value of poultry raised on farms 
and ranges in the United States in 1899 was 
Sl36.891.877; the average value per farm of 
poultry raised was $26.86. ■ 

The five states of the highest rank in the 
value of poultry products in 1899 were Illinois, 
Si 1,307,599; Missouri $9,525,252; Iowa, 


7 


PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


S9.491,819; Ohio 88,847,009; and Indiana 88,- 
172,993. 

The production of eggs in 1S99 was 1,293,- 
819,186 dozens, an average of 5.5 dozens per 
chicken. (This does not include eggs of tur¬ 
keys, geese and ducks). The value of these eggs 
was 8144,286,158. Iowa was the banner state 
in egg production, it reported 99.621.920 dozens; 
Ohio ranked second, with 91,766,630 dozens; 
Illinois third, with 86,402,670 dozens; Missouri 
fourth with 85.203,290 dozens; and Kansas 
fifth, with 73.190,590 dozens. In value of eggs 
produced Ohio ranks first, with 810,280,769; 
Iowa second, with $10,016,707; and Illinois 
which was first in value of poultry raised was 
fourth in value of eggs produced, reporting 
S8,942.401; being outranked by Pennsylvania 
with 89,080,725, and followed closely by New 
York with 88,630,062. 

Storage and Uses. 

Only perfect eggs are stored, those cracked in 
transit and the small and dirty-shelled ones 
being canned and frozen. Such eggs are sold 
to large baking establishments at prices below 
those of fresh eggs, thus taking the bakers out, 
to a large extent, from the winter demand, and 
having a moderating effect upon prices. In 
1900 over 1,000 dozen eggs were frozen in Kan¬ 
sas City alone. Eggs found to be tainted are 
used in dressing leather for gloves and book¬ 
binding, an industry largely carried on in foreign 
tenement districts of large cities. A disinfec¬ 
tant is also made of the tainted eggs, and they 
are extensively used in the preparation of a 
shoe-blacking. The shells are used to make 
fertilizers. 

Besides the culinary use of eggs, millions are 
used each year by wine clarifiers, calico print 
works, dye manufacturers, and in the prepa¬ 
ration of photographers’ dry plates. A con¬ 
siderable trade in dessicated eggs has sprung 
up in recent years. By a process of evaporation 
all or most of the white or yolk, as the case may 
be, is dried out. Eggs thus treated are used to 
some extent in the family trade, but more by 
bakers, and are of special service in provisioning 
camping parties and expeditions. 

When placed on the market the dried eggs 
are usually ground. Sometimes salt, sugar or 
both are used as preservatives. If the process 
of manufacture is such that the resulting 
product is palatable and keeps well, the value of 
evaporated eggs for many purposes is evident. 


THE EGG. 

From Wright's New Book of Poultry. 

Every animal, of whatsoever kind, is devel¬ 
oped from the egg form, or as physiologists ex¬ 
press it, “oynne animal ex ovo.” But the mode 
of that development differs, in one detail espec¬ 
ially. In mammalia the egg is retained through¬ 
out within the body of the mother, which is its 
sufficient protection, and the development is 
uninterrupted. In oviparous animals, such as 
birds, the egg is enclosed in a hard protecting 
shell, and, at a certain stage of development, ex¬ 
truded from the body of the mother; in this 
case development is arrested at that point, and 
may, or may not, be resumed and completed. 



Fig. I.—Ovary of Laying Hen. 


The ovary of a hen during or near her laying 
season presents an appearance much like that 
of a cluster of fruit, and is accurately shown by 
the illustration. There are, strictly, two such 
organs in every bird; but one remains merely 
rudimentary and undeveloped, the fertile one 
being almost always that on the left of the spine, 
to which it is attached by means of the periton¬ 
eal membrane. By the ovary the essential part of 
the egg, which consists of the germ, and also the 
yolk, is formed, each yolk being contained with¬ 
in a thin and transparent ovisac, connected by 
a narrow stem or pedicle with the ovary. These 
rudimentary eggs are of different sizes, accord¬ 
ing to the different degree of development, and 
during the period of laying the}’ are constantly 
coming to maturity in due succession. 


8 


INTRODUCTORY. 


As the yolk becomes fully matured, the en¬ 
closing membrane or ovisac becomes gradually 
thinner, especially round its greatest diameter 
or equator, which then exhibits a pale zone or 
belt called the stigma. Finally, whether or not 
fecundation takes place, the sac ruptures at 
the stigma, and the liberated yolk and germ, 
surrounded by a very thin and delicate mem¬ 
brane, is received by the funnel-shaped opening 
of the oi'idact or egg-passage, whose office it. is 
to convey it to the outer world, and on its way 
to clothe it with other structures needful for its 
development and preservation. This organ, 
with its various convolutions a little modified 
for convenience of 
representation, i s 
shown in the illus¬ 
tration, and in an 
ordina r v hen is 
nearly two feet in 
length. It will 
easily be seen how 
two yolks may be¬ 
come detached and 
enter the oviduct 
at nearly the same 
time; in which case 
they are likely to 
be developed in the 
same white and 
shell, causing the 
“ doub le-yolked 
egg” so well-known 
to every p o u 11 r y 
keeper. 

Thus received 
into the oviduct, 
the yolk becomes 
enveloped in a 
glairy fluid called the white, or by chem¬ 
ists albumen. This is secreted by the 
mucous membrane of the oviduct, and added 
layer by layer as the egg passes on. The uses of 
the white or albumen are manifold. It is emi¬ 
nently nutritious, forming indeed the chief 
nourishment of the chick during its growth in 
the shell; as it becomes absorbed by the little 
animal, and forming as it does by far the greater 
part of the egg when laid, it gives the fast- 
growing little body the needed increase of room; 
it is a very bad conductor of heat, and hence 
guards the hatching egg against the fatal chills 
which would otherwise occur when the hen left 
the nest; and finally it preserves the delicate 


yolk and vital germ from concussion or other 
violent injury. 

At a still further point of the oviduct the egg 
becomes invested with the skin or parchment¬ 
like covering which is found inside the shell. In 
realitv this skin consists of two lavers, which 
can easily be separated, and at the large end of 
the egg they do separate entirely, forming the 
air-chamber. At first this chamber is small, 
but as the egg gets stale, it becomes larger and 
larger, so that even in eggs stored, it fills at 
length, a large portion of the space within the 
shell, the egg itself drying up in proportion. In 
eggs on the point of hatching it usually occu¬ 
pies about one-fifth of the space. It has been 
proved by experiments that the perforation of 
this air chamber, even by a needle point, is an 
effectual prevention of successful hatching. 

In the last portion of the oviduct, the egg be¬ 
comes coated with that calcareous deposit which 
forms the shell, after which it passes into the 
cloaca and is ready for expulsion. In some 
breeds, coloring matter is added over the solid 
ingredient, producing the deep-colored eggs of 
the Cochin, and in other birds the splashed and 
spotted patterns so well-known. In fowls which 
lav colored eggs similar splashes often occur, and 
we have had Brahma hens which laid eggs with 
a white ground, covered thickly over by choco¬ 
late-colored spots. We have had others, again, 
lay eggs covered apparently with a coat of 
white-wash, which on being rubbed off with a 
rough cloth, revealed the usual buff-brown tint 
beneath. All these things obviously depend on 
some peculiar condition of the secreting organs, 
as does the shape of the egg of each bird when 
finally laid. 

Occasional departures from the ordinary 
type of egg will now be understood. If the lat¬ 
ter portion of the oviduct be in an unhealthy 
condition, or if the yolks be matured by the ovary, 
faster than shells can be formed by that organ, 
“soft” or unshelled eggs will bo produced. If, 
on the contrary, the oviduct and its glands be 
active, while the supply of yolks is temporarily 
exhausted, the diminutive eggs, which consist of 
only white and shell, and which not infrequent¬ 
ly terminate the laying of a long batch, may be 
expected to occur. Disease extending to the 
middle portion of the passage may result in eggs 
without even the membraneous skin, and if the 
entire canal be in an unhealthy condition, yolks 
alone may probably be dropped without any 
addition whatever, even of whites. This last 



9 


PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


occurrence therefore denotes a serious state of 
affairs, and should be met at once by depletic 
medicines, or it will probably be followed by the 
loss of the bird. 

Let us now consider the egg itself, which is a 
much more complicated organism than many 
people are aware of. There is much even in the 
shell to excite our interest. It is composed 
chiefly of prismatic particles, so arranged as to 
leave pores or interspaces between them. As 
laid, the shell is of enormous strength, so that 
it will resist great pressure between the palms 
of the hands applied to the opposite ends; 
though it is not correct that, as we have seen 
stated, “the strongest man cannot break it” in 
this way. Still, for its thickness and texture, 
its strength is phenomenal. As hatching pro¬ 
ceeds, however, the carbonic acid and dioxide 
formed by the breathing of the chick, dissolved 



in fluid, gradually dissolve a portion of the 
material, and thus the prismatic bodies are slow¬ 
ly softened and disintegrated. The shell thus 
becomes far softer and more brittle as hatch¬ 
ing approaches; and so great is the difference, 
that if the edge of a fracture made across 
a fresh egg-shell, and another of one hatched or 
hatching, be examined under a microscope, it 
will be instantly seen that the two are in a quite 
different molecular condition. Were it not for 
this beautiful provision of nature, the chick 
could never break the shell. 

The outer and inner shell membranes M and 
M, separating at the air chamber A, need no 
further explanation. Proceeding inwards, we 
come next to the white or albumen W. This 
is composed of a denser, and a more fluid kind, 
arranged in layers, which can be peeled off in a 
hard-boiled egg, like the layers of an onion. A 


layer of the more fluid kind is always next the 
shell, and another thin one, F, next the yolk, 
but enveloped by another layer, D, of the dense 
kind. If an egg be broken into a basin, there 
will further be observed attached to two oppo¬ 
site sides of the yolk, two slightly opaque and 
rather twisted thick cords C H, of still denser al¬ 
bumen, termed the chalazce. They are not at¬ 
tached to the shell, but to opposite sides of the 
dense layer of albumen, D, which envelopes the 
inner fluid layer and the yolk. They are at¬ 
tached at opposite sides, rather below the center, 
thus they act as balancing weights, keeping the 
side of the yolk which carries the germ always 
uppermost, and very nearly in floating equilib¬ 
rium. If the egg be turned round, therefore, the 
yolk itself does not turn with it, but retains its 
position with the germ on the upper side. 

It will be seen how elaborately and beautifully 
the yolk, bearing upon its upper surface the 
tender germ, is protected within the egg. Itself 
rather lighter at the upper part, it is further 
balanced by the chalazce, so as to float germ up¬ 
permost in the albumen. It is usually very 
slightly lighter than the albumen, but scarcely 
perceptibly so; thus it floats near the upper 
side of the shell, but always separated from it by 
a layer of albumen of more or less thickness, 
and oscillating gently away .from the shell on the 
least motion. In a few cases it probably floats 
more strongly up against the shell, and these are 
generally the cases in which adherence takes 
place, or the yolk is ruptured during hatching; 
but an exquisitely delicate floating balance is 
the rule. Nevertheless, it will be readily under¬ 
stood why it is inadvisable to leave an egg lying 
on the same side for any length of time. The 
shell being porous, and permitting of evaporation, 
such a course keeps the germ close to the portion 
of albumen which is slowly drying up, and 
may cause a tendency to adhesion. 

Turning now to the yolk, this is contained in a 
very delicate vitelline membrane, V. It is com¬ 
posed of both white and yellow cells, and if an 
egg be boiled hard, and cut across, it can be seen 
that there is a flask-shaped nucleus or center of 
white yolk, W Y, round which are several con¬ 
centric layers of yellow yolk, Y A". Under the 
microscope additional thin layers of white yolk 
cells can be distinguished amongst the yellow 
layers. On the top of the white yolk rests the 
blastoderm (germ skin), a small disc about one- 
eighth of an inch across, shown at B L. The dif¬ 
ference between a fertilized and an unfertilized 
egg is solely to be found in this small disc. 


10 






Chapter L 


THE NATURAL HABITS OF THE HEN AND WHAT DOMESTICATION HAS 
DONE. THE EARLY HISTORY OF DOMESTIC FOWLS. THEIR ORIGIN 
AND GRADUAL DEVELOPMENT. SOME OF THE RESULTS 
ALREADY ATTAINED. THE PROBABILITIES 
OF THE FUTURE. 


T t is quite generally believed by natural- 
| ^ ists that our common domestic hens 
' are descended from the wild jungle- 
. . fowls of Asia, which are scientifically 
named Gallus Bankiva. There are four recog¬ 
nized species of Gallus found there, very 
possibly of one common origin far back in 
the unrecorded past, but now having little in 
common except their wildness, and because of 
their being sterile, or producing only barren hy¬ 
brids when mated, a common origin is doubtful; 
if of common origin they have varied so widely 
as to now be distinct species, and, tested by the 
standard of fertility when mated, the other 
species are unrelated to G. bankiva. This 
wild jungle fowl of Northern India, bears a quite 
close resemblance to the Black Breasted Red 
Game fowl as we know it, the chief difference 
being that the Games carry the tail more erect; 
in the bankiva the tail is carried drooping. Of 
the history of these birds the Encyclopedia 
Britannica says: 

k “It inhabits Northern India and greatly re¬ 
sembles in plumage, the Black Breasted Red 
Game, and this is especially the case with ex¬ 
amples from the Malay countries, between 
which and examples from India some differ¬ 
ences are noticeable,—the latter have a plumage 
less red, and ear lappets almost invariably white, 
while in the former the ear lappets are crimson, 
like the comb and wattles, and the legs yellow¬ 
ish in color. If the Malay birds be considered 
distinct, it is to them that the name G. bankiva 
properly applies. This species is said to be 
found in lofty forests and in dense thickets, as 
well as in ordinary bamboo-jungles, and when 
cultivated land is near its haunts it may be 
seen in the fields after the crops are cut, in strag¬ 
gling parties of 10 to 20. The crow of the cock 


is described as being just like that of the Ban¬ 
tam. but never prolonged, as in some domestic 
birds. The hen breeds from January to July, 
according to the locality, and lays from S to 13 
creamy-white eggs, occasionally scraping to¬ 
gether a few leaves or a little dried grass by way 
of a nest. 

“Several circumstances seem to render it like¬ 
ly that fowls were first domesticated in Burmah 
or the countries adjacent thereto, and it is the 
tradition of the Chinese that they received their 
poultry from the West, about 1,400 B. C. By 
the Institutes of Manu, the date of which is 
variously assigned from 1200 to S00 B. C., the 
tame fowl is forbidden,though the wild is allowed 
to be eaten, showing that its domestication was 
already accomplished when they were written. 
The bird is not mentioned in the Old Testament, 
nor by Homer, nor is It figured on ancient 
Egyptian monuments. Pindar mentions it, 
and Aristophanes calls it the Persian Bird, thus 
indicating it to have been introduced into Greece 
through Persia, and it is figured on the Baby¬ 
lonian cylinders between the 6th and 7th centur¬ 
ies, B. C. 

“Game fowls differ less from the wild bankiva 
than any other variety; they are, however, con¬ 
siderably larger, and carry the tail more erect 
than the wild birds. In some parts of India, 
sportsmen find it not easy to distinguish 
between the wild and domesticated birds.” 

Discussing the origin and history of domestic 
fowls, Darwin, in his “Animals and Plants un¬ 
der Domestication,” says: 

“History of the Fowl.—Rutimever found no 
remains of the fowl in the ancient Swiss lake- 
dwellings; but, according to Jeitteles, such 
have certainly since been found associated 
with extinct animals and prehistoric remains. 


11 



PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


It is, therefore, a strange fact that the fowl is 
not mentioned in the Old Testament, nor 
figured on the ancient Egyptian monuments. 
It is not referred to by Homer or Hesiod, (about 
900 B. C.); but is mentioned by Theognis 
and Aristophanes, between 400 and 500 B. C. 
It is figured on some of the Babylonian cylinders 
between the sixth and seventh centuries B. C., 
of which Mr. Layard sent me an impression, and 
on the Harpy Tomb in Lycia, about 600 B. C., 
so that the fowl apparently reached Europe in a 
domesticated condition somewhere about the 
sixth century B. C. It had travelled still far¬ 
ther westward by the time of the Christian era, 
for it was found in Britain by Julius Caesar. In 
India it must have been domesticated when the 
Institutes of Manu were written, that is, accord¬ 
ing to Sir W. Jones, 1200 B. C., but,, according 
to the later authority of Mr. H. Wilson, only 
800 B. C., for the domestic fowl is forbidden, 
whilst the wild is permitted to be eaten. If, as 
before remarked, we may trust the old Chinese 
Encyclopedia, the fowl must have been domes¬ 
ticated several centuries earlier, as it is said to 
have been introduced from the West into China 
1400 B. C. 

“Sufficient materials do not exist for 
tracing the history of the separate breeds. About 
the commencement of the Christian era, Colum¬ 
ella mentions a five-toed fighting breed, and 
some provincial breeds; but we know nothing 
about them. He also alludes to dwarf fowls; 
but these cannot have been the same with our 
Bantams, which, as Mr. Crawfurd has shown, 
were imported from Japan, into Bantam in 
Java. A dwarf fowl, probably the true Bantam, 
is referred to in an old Japanese Encyclopedia, 
as I am informed by Mr. Birch. In the Chinese 
Encyclopedia, published in 1596, but com¬ 
piled from various sources, some of high an¬ 
tiquity, seven breeds are mentioned, including 
what we should now call Jumpers or Creepers, 
and likewise fowls with black feathers, bones 
and flesh. In 1600, Aldrovandi describes seven 
or eight breeds of fowls, and this is the most 
ancient record from which the age of European 
breeds can be inferred. ’ ’ 

Mr. Darwin tells us that “ Sufficient materials 
do not exist for tracing the history of the sepa¬ 
rate breeds” of fowls, and it is equally true 
that sufficient materials do not exist for tracing 
the growth (or evolution) of the domestic fowls 
of today as a whole, but from what materials 
we have and by what we can surmise from the 


practically analogous history and traditions of 
the human race, we can piece together a prob¬ 
able history. We in America have received 
the so-called “Mediterranean,”(the non-sitting), 
varieties from the countries bordering upon the 
Mediterranean sea, the so-called “Asiatics” 
from China and Bantams from Japan. It is 
interesting to recall the numberless invasions of 
the tribes and peoples of eastern (Asiatic) origin 
into the countries bordering upon the Mediter¬ 
ranean sea, and to remember that while those 
invading peoples frequently conquered the 
countries they invaded, they were in turn ab¬ 
sorbed into the peoples of the countries which 
they had conquered, the conquerors and the 
conquered being ultimately merged into one 
family; a most familiar example of such merg¬ 
ing of races, that of the English people, is re¬ 
cognized by the late Laureate in the well-known 
lines of his welcome to the princess who has 
now become the queen of England: 

“Saxon and Norman and Dane are we, 

All of us Danes in our welcome to thee, 
Alexandra .” 

It is easy to imagine the movements of in¬ 
numerable tribes and peoples who thus became 
inhabitants of the countries bordering upon the 
Mediterranean sea,and to picture them as taking 
their flocks and herds with them on their mi¬ 
grations, and probably in this manner the 
domesticated descendants of Callus bankiva 
were introduced into Europe. That the process 
of domestication and entire change of habit in 
the species was a long one there can be no 
question; it would certainly require many 
thousands of generations to effect so complete 
a revolution in habits and instincts as we see 
in the non-incubating varieties. The old pro¬ 
verb tells us that “ Self preservation is the first 
law of nature,” and we can easily believe that 
next to self-preservation the perpetuation of the 
species is the strongest instinct. It is true that 
with domestic fowls the propagating of their 
kind is a dual act, comprising, first, the laying 
of the eggs, and, second, the incubating of them; 
and in the Mediterranean varieties we have the 
incubating instinct practically become dormant 
through long-continued disuse. It must have 
required a long, long period of time to have 
effected so momentous a revolution in so potent 
an instinct. We have, in Egypt, the familiar 
instance of the incubating of eggs being done 
artificially, but no other example has come to 


12 


NATURAL HABITS OF THE HEN. 


us, nor does recorded history mention other 
peoples practicing the art so far as we have 
knowledge. It would be possible for the incu¬ 
bating instinct to become dormant in the fowls 
of that country and through a correspondingly 
greater development of the egg-producing in¬ 
stinct the fowls be more highly valued and con¬ 
sequently imported into adjoining countries. 

It would be possible also, that “ natural 
selection ” would have gradually effected the 
permanent abandonment of the brooding in¬ 
stinct; the birds being preferred which were 
most prolific layers and least persistently broody, 
such preference (and consequent “selection”) 


were found among the ruins of the buried city 
of Pompeii and are now preserved in the Nation¬ 
al Museum at Naples; one of these represents 
a cock, life size, which differs little if at all in 
shape, color, etc., from the Brown Leghorn 
cock of today, the other is likewise of a Brown 
Leghorn cock but shows some sprinkling of 
white among the saddle feathers. The corres¬ 
pondent to whom we are indebted for this in¬ 
formation, writing of the common Italian fowls, 
says: “The Mediterranean races are of course 
the universal ones, and here almost exclusively 
are the Brown Leghorns, saucy, self-reliant, 
quick to assert themselves and great foragers* 



Cochins in 1843. Reproduced from Tegetmeier's Poultry Book. 


would gradually, although very slowly, weaken 
and finally destroy that instinct. In the coun¬ 
tries where artificial incubation was not practiced, 
however, fowls of incubating disposition would 
have to be kept to hatch the necessary chickens; 
and we find that very condition in Italy today, 
where can be seen, among the innumerable 
flocks of the common Italian fowls (which we in 
America know as Leghorns), here and there a 
flock of more or less mongrel Asiatics and other 
incubating varieties. 

That the common Italian fowls have changed 
little, if any, in the past two thousand years, we 
have good evidence in two fine mosaics which 


There is no attempt whatever made to maintain 
any special variety of color or marking, although 
one sees often enough typical cocks and hens 
resembling very closely the Brown leghorn 
as it exists in the United States today, yet 
since they are not selected for breeding with 
any definite object the evils of inbreeding mani¬ 
fest themselves in frequent white feathers. 

“ Nevertheless the race of the Brown Leghorn 
must be one of remarkable vigor and of great 
age. Nowhere have I seen anything like the 
modern pea-comb or rose-comb, always the 
large, well developed single comb,—and only 
rarely a white or black variety. The rose- 


13 





















PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


combs and Black and White Leghorns are of 
course either the results of admixture with, or 
sports of the ancient type of the race,—and that 
type seems to be the brown Leghorn,” 

It would be still more correct to say the type 
is that of the progenitors of the race, for the 
black-red colors of the Brown Leghorn male 
very closely resemble the black-red colors of 
the male Gallus bankiva, and the persistence of 
these color-markings in the common fowls of 
Italy is an illustration of the persistence of race 
characteristics, as well as of reversion towards 
the original ancestral type. This result is pre¬ 
cisely what would be expected from centuries 


tioned and extremely broody “Asiatics.” 

If we suppose that quantity and quality of 
meat were preferred to a great egg product we 
would expect just such a development of the 
meat producing qualities as those Asiatic fowls 
possess. Some of us can remember the great 
yellow Shanghais and Grey Chittagongs of fifty 
or sixty years ago; so tall that, while standing 
on the floor beside it, they could eat corn off the 
top of a barrel that was standing on end; cock 
birds of the descendants of those varieties have 
reached seventeen or eighteen pounds weight. 

It is quite unnecessary for us to enter into the 
much discussed question of whether the Chitta_ 



Light Brahmas. Presented to Her Majesty, Oueen Victoria, by Mr. Geo. P. Burnham, in 1852. 

Reproduced from Tegetmeier’s Poultry Book. 


of promiscuous interbreeding, just the result 
that we find in the common Italian fowls de¬ 
scribed above and from which our finely bred 
Leghorns have been developed. 

Mr. Darwin tells us the domesticated fowl is 
said to have been introduced from the west into 
China about 1400 B. C., and we see in the de¬ 
scendants of those fowls a development in a 
decidedly different direction from that taken by 
the domesticated fowls in Europe and North 
Africa. Instead of the small, non-sitting, in¬ 
tensely nervous and active “Mediterraneans” 
we find the large, clumsy, placid-disposi- 


gongs were of Chinese or Indian origin, it is 
sufficient for our purpose to know that both the 
Chittagongs and Shanghais were of the same 
great Asiatic race, and that our Cochins and 
Brahmas have been developed from them. We 
in America received the ancestors of our Cochins 
and Brahmas from Asia, the ancestors of our 
Leghorns from Italy, and from Spain and the 
countries which were for centuries dominated 
by Spain the other “Mediterranean” varieties; 
and from the mixing of these races has been 
evolved our popular American varieties, the 
Plymouth Rocks and Wyandottes. 


14 



















NATURAL HABITS OF THE HEN. 


What Domestication Has Done. 

We have seen that our common domestic hen 
probably originated in the wild jungle-fowl of 
Asia, and that currents of conquest and com¬ 
mercial enterprise carried them east into China 
and west into North Africa and Europe; in the 
one case the influence of selection has developed 
the meat producing qualities and in the other 
the tendency to increase the production of eggs 
has been carefully developed and the instinct 
of incubation rendered dormant; these remark¬ 
able results having been attained by the per¬ 
sistent and long continued selection of the 
most prolific layers in the one case and those of 
greatest size in the other. From the wild 
jungle-fowl, producing a clutch of “8 to 13 
creamy white eggs” in a season, to the highly 
organized egg-machines that produce 150 to 200 
eggs each in a year is a long journey, one that 
has required several thousand years to accom¬ 
plish,—and the end is not yet. We have every 
reason to believe that we are continuing to 
progress, and that continued careful breeding to 
a definite purpose will give us still more grati¬ 
fying results, with reasonable assurance of even 
greater permanency of results. 

We have quite analogous conditions in the 
domestic cow, which, in the wild state, yielded 
milk for three or four months for the sustenance 
of its calf and ran dry the balance of the year, 
but has by careful breeding to one purpose, 
been developed to give an almost uninterrupted 
milk flow, and in individual cases has reached 
the phenomenal yield of upwards of 10,000 
pounds of milk in a year, when the average for 
the whole United States is but about 3,400 
pounds. The “ Biggie Cow Book ” says: 

“ Great is the dairy cow! Hail to her! But if she 
gives less than 5.000 pounds of milk per year, or 
200 pounds of butter, away with her! She is 
not profitable.” A grade cow, “ Topsev,” (out 
of a Shorthorn cow by a Holstein bull) made a 
yearly average for five years of 10,037 pounds of 
milk, which made 456 pounds of butter, the 
average cost of the butter being 8.6 cents per 
pound. As there are only about half a million 
head of thoroughbred cattle and some ten to 
twelve million “ grades ” (out of a total of nearly 
seventy millions) in the United States, it can be 
surmised that comparatively few came up to 
even Judge Biggie’s modest standard of profit¬ 
able production. 

It is exactly similar with our hens. The sta¬ 
tistics of the last census show an average egg 


production for the whole United States of 5.5 
dozens per fowl, the state of Maine being credit¬ 
ed with an average of 8.5 dozens and Louisiana 
ranking lowest with but 3.3 dozens per fowl, 
and yet we have individual hen records of 200 
to 251 eggs within a year of reaching laying 
maturity. In the tables of estimated average 
egg production the Asiatic varieties are credited 
with 120 to 150 eggs each; the American varie¬ 
ties with 175 to 200 eggs each and the Mediter¬ 
ranean varieties with ISO to 200 eggs each. It 
is only within a few years that we have had 
trap-nest records of individual birds, and the 
best previous authentic records of birds in 
flocks (the total egg product being divided 
equally among all the birds), gave 194 eggs each 
from 600 White Leghorns on Air. Wyckoff’s 
farm, 178 eggs each from 280 White Wyan- 
clottes and Barred P. Bocks on Mr. Norton’s 
farm, 198 eggs each from 135 Barred P. Rocks 
on Mr. Parks’ farm, 196 eggs each from ten 
Buff Wyandottes on Dr. Sanborn’s farm and 
210 eggs each from 11 White Wyandottes on Mr. 
Woods’ farm. By the use of trap nests the 
exact record of each bird in the flock is obtained, 
and Mr. Silberstein developed egg production in 
his Light Brahmas to an extent that one bird 
laid 232 eggs within a year of laying maturity 
and Mr. John W. Boswell. Jr., got 242 eggs in a 
year from a White Wyandotte pullet. 

The best work of which we have knowledge, 
in this field, has been done at the Maine Agri¬ 
cultural Experiment Station, where they have 
been breeding from known great layers for the 
past five years. They have found in their 
flocks thirty hens that laid between 200 and 251 
eggs each in a year, twenty-six of these hens 
being now in their breeding pens, and consti¬ 
tuting the foundation stock upon which their 
breeding operations are based. “All the breed¬ 
ing stock we are now carrying are tested hens 
that have laid over 180 eggs in a year; pullets 
whose mothers laid over 200 eggs in one year 
and whose fathers’ mothers laid over 200 eggs 
in a year; and pullets sired by cockerels whose 
mothers and grandmothers laid over 200 eggs 
in one year.” For those who have thought a 
hen that laid freely in her first year was of little 
value as a layer thereafter it will be a comfort 
to know that some of the great layers there at 
the Maine Experiment Station are doing great 
second and third year laying also. The report 
says: “No 286, in her first year, commencing 
Nov. 1, 1899, laid 191 eggs, with 157 during the 


15 


PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


second, and 138 in her third year.” “No. 4 
laid 201 eggs the first year, 140 the second and 
130 the third.” These two hens laid 486 and 
471 eggs respectively in three years. 

Speaking of the advantages of incubators 
and the beneficial effects from their use the U. S. 
Census Report says: “The continued use of 
the incubator tends to make the hen forget in a 
measure, her maternal instincts. It is said that 
in Egypt, where artificial incubation has been 
employed for centuries, the hens exhibit very 
little tendency to become ‘ broody/ and much of 
the time formerly spent in being ‘broody’ is 
available for egg laying. This fact assumes 
gigantic importance when it is remembered 
that it has been discovered that there are 600 
embryo eggs in the ovary of a hen. It has been 
further ascertained that two-thirds of this 
number can be secured in the first two years 
of a hen’s life, provided suitable measures are 
employed. If the tendency to become ‘ broody ’ 
can be suppressed, and more time can be given 
to egg laying, incubation being left to the artifi¬ 
cial incubator, and if, in addition, egg-pro¬ 
ducing food be fed, the problem of getting the 
greatest number of the eggs from the hen in the 
first two years of her life will be very near 
solution.” 

Assuming for the moment that the census 
writer is correct in his statement of there being 
600 embryo eggs in the ovary of a hen, the 
problem of getting the greatest proportion of 
that number the first two years of her life is 
easily solved if we but breed from birds that 
have the egg-laying habit fixed; the success of 
the Maine Experiment Station people is good 
proof of that. Does our census friend, however 
“ know ’’ that there are 600 eggs in the ovary of 
a hen? We believe that the number is not so fixed 
as he implies, and that an increase in the 
number can be developed by breeding from 
birds of a fixed egg-producing habit. Faculties 
are developed by long-continued and persistent 
use. With the wild Gallus bankiva there would 
hardly be occasion for a store of 600 embryo eggs 
when she produced but 8 to 13 in a season; 
there certainly was no probability of her living 
through fifty seasons, hence by no possibility 
could she ever use half, or a fourth, even, of 
600 embryo eggs; and nature is not so wasteful 
of her provision for the reproduction of species. 
Rather would we believe that in the wild state 
the female Gallus bankiva was provided with 
perhaps 100 embryo eggs, and that the increase 


in the domesticated hen to a possible 600 has 
come through long development of the egg-pro¬ 
ducing faculty; and in that belief (and it is 
plausible) we find encouragement to look for¬ 
ward to a still further enlargement of the supply 
of embryo eggs in future great laying stock. 
There are countless analogies in nature of such 
development through long continued and per¬ 
sistent use of a faculty or function, and with the 
prolific laying habit developed and transmitted 
through many generations we confidently pre¬ 
dict a still further increase of capacity for egg- 
production. 

Similarly with the market qualities of our 
stock; by selecting the breeding birds with a 
view to improving the quantity and quality of 
breast meat, by choosing birds with long, deep 
keels and short legs and thighs, that most im¬ 
portant quality will become gradually more 
highly developed; bringing about an increased 
quantity of the highest quality of meat, which 
will result in increased appreciation of and de¬ 
mand for that product. 

The Probabilities of the Future. 

Far too many poultry writers, as well as 
poultry raisers, take no thought of the probable 
future growth or development of the poultry 
business; we are all prone to live fully up to the 
motto, “Sufficient unto the day is the evil there¬ 
of.” Those of us who can look back fifty years, 
can see tremendous changes, and if we study 
the situation aright, those changes of the past 
are certainly suggestive of what future develop¬ 
ment may be. Up to this time the practical 
end of poultry raising has been very little studied; 
the bulk of poultry writing, the influence of the 
poultry shows, etc., have almost all been along 
what is called the “fancy” branch of the bus¬ 
iness. Some little thought for the practical 
there is, some little preaching of better quality, 
both of poultry meat and eggs, and there is some 
slight interest in the better conditions of collect¬ 
ing and shipping to favorable markets. Taking 
the country as a whole, however, there is very, 
very little thought of this, and very, very little 
attention paid to the bettering of quality, and 
the improving of market conditions. 

That improvement in quality is one phase of 
future development, seems highly probable, and 
it will tend to an increased appreciation of both 
poultry meat and eggs, if this improvement in 
quality and also in market conditions is brought 
about. One of the effects of improvement in 


16 


NATURAL HABITS OF THE HEN. 


quality will be an increased public appreciation 
of both poultry meat and eggs, and an increased 
consumption by the public, and this wholly out¬ 
side of certain natural causes which are steadily 
influencing an increased public consumption of 
these products. These natural causes are a 
rapid and steady increase in population, and a 
steady decrease in supply of other meat pro¬ 
ducts, and there are excellent reasons for be¬ 
lieving these conditions will continue. With 
the population of the United States doubling 
every forty years, and the beef, pork and mutton 
supplies steadily decreasing through natural 
causes, it is reasonable to argue that there will 
be a constantly increasing demand for eggs and 
poultry meat as a substitute; and with the rapid 
multiplication of population, and especially the 
evident disposition of the people to center in 
cities and towns, thus increasing the consuming 
class far more rapidly than the increase of pro¬ 
ducers, that increase in demand should be like¬ 
wise rapid. One very decided influence in this 
direction will be an improvement in quality, and 
this is quite as applicable to eggs as to dressed 
poultry. Thousands and thousands of cases 
of eggs now reach the large consuming markets 
in very poor shape for use, largely because of 
the great lapse of time between the production 
of the eggs by the hens and their reaching the 
tables of the consumers. A bettering of con¬ 
ditions here "would be a comparatively simple 
and easy matter; it requires more regular and 
systematic collecting of the eggs on the farms, 
and a regular collecting from the farms by the 
dealers who ship them to market; and the time 
is not far distant when we shall see regular egg¬ 
collecting routes, comparable to the cream-col¬ 
lecting routes now established in great dairy 
sections of the country. Indeed, there is no 
reason whatever why the two lines of work should 
not be combined, and the cream collector like¬ 
wise collect the eggs from the farms daily, and 
bring them to the cool-room of the creamery, 
where they can be lighted, packed and shipped 
promptly and regularly to the most desirable 
market. 

Our friends in Europe are already far in ad¬ 
vance of us in this particular, and in Denmark 
alone, there are 24,000 farms enrolled in a “Dan¬ 
ish Egg Association,” the eggs of the members 
being collected either daily or three times a week. 
In this association the eggs of each farm are 
marked with a letter and number, so that the 


origin of every egg brought into the depots is 
knowyn 

These eggs are lighted to test their freshness, 
and then packed and shipped to market; if a 
bad egg is found in any farmer’s lot, he is fined 
for the first offense, and if a second offense of 
sending in bad eggs is discovered within a year, 
he is expelled from the association, and has to 
fall back on the ordinary market chances for 
disposing of his product. As there is a sub¬ 
stantial increase in price received through being 
a member of this “Danish Egg Association,” 
obviously the members are jealous of their 
reputations, and are careful not to send in any 
questionable eggs. 

An important movement in England has been 
the forming of a National Poultry Organization 
Society. The head offices are in Hanover 
Square, London, and the society was founded 
(we quote from the prospectus) “with the ob¬ 
ject of affording British Poultry keepers the same 
advantages of information and organization as 
are enjoyed in foreign countries, thus enabling 
them to compete on equal terms with their 
rivals abroad. Its chief aims are: (a) the or¬ 
ganization and development of the Poultry In¬ 
dustry as a most important branch of British 
Agriculture: (b) the improvement in the 
quality, and the increase in the quantity of eggs, 
poultry, etc., produced in the United Kingdom: 
(c) the maintenance of regularity and uniformity 
of supply: (d) the provision of facilities for 
rapid transit: and (e) the bringing of producers 
and retailers in closer touch, in order that the 
best available market may be obtained at a 
minimum cost. 

“The society is not a trading concern, but 
seeks to further the above objects by promoting 
the formation of (a) Branches and (b) collecting 
Depots in the rural districts. 

“Branches endeavor by the mutual co-oper¬ 
ation of all interested in the poultry industry, 
in their districts, to improve the class and in¬ 
crease the number of fowls kept, to secure the 
adoption of improved methods of management, 
to disseminate among the members such in¬ 
formation and render such aid as they may 
require, and to co-operate with the Technical 
Education Committees of the County Councils 
in ensuring the success of lectures and classes 
in poultry keeping.” 

Upwards of thirty branches or collecting de¬ 
pots have been established. These branches 
and collecting depots, “undertake the rapid 


17 


PROFIT A BLE EGG FARMING. 


collecting of eggs, and (in suitable districts) the 
fattening of chickens, ducks, etc., finding the 
best possible market- for the produce. In the 
ease of eggs, these are carefully tested before 
they an* sent out, and such as are absolutely 
fresh, are stamped with the registered trade 
mark of the society, which is a guarantee to re¬ 
tailer and consumer of their quality. On each 
egg sold are marks denoting the depot, the pro¬ 
ducer, and the date, enabling the society to 
guarantee the quality both to retailer and con¬ 
sumer. Fxeellent contracts have been secured 
for eggs supplied through the depots of the 
National 1 ’oultrv (frganiznt ion Societ y. Since t he 
opening of collect ion depots at several centers, 
tlu v eggs collected and forwarded have proved 
most satisfactory, and the demand for these 
stamped eggs is increasing more rapidly than 
present supplies. Profits made at any depot 
are divided among the members in accordance 
with the amount of eggs and poultry supplied 
by them.” 

Such manifest improvements in methods, 
and so simple withal, are certain to recommend 
themselves to our intelligent American farmers, 
and the step of establishing regular egg-collect¬ 
ing routes is one certain to be taken. Since a 
radical improvement in marketconditions would 
follow the establishment of such collecting 
routes, it will work the double advantage of put¬ 
ting the product upon the market in better con¬ 
dition. and likewise increase the farmer’s re¬ 
turns for his product. 

An excellent authority informs us that at cer¬ 
tain seasons of the year from one-half to three- 
fourths of the eggs sent to market by the farmers 
of Kansas are absolutely bad; what a tremendous 
waste! The remedy for this state of affairs is 
simply regular and systematic collecting of the 
eggs and shipping to market, aided by a rigid 
breaking up of broody hens and excluding them 
from the pens of layers; where a broody hen is 
allowed to remain on the nest day after day, and 
other hens lay in the same nest it iseasv to under¬ 
stand that the eggs thus incubated for two or 
three days become “struck,” and are thereafter 
useless for human food. Another stop in the 
right direction would be the killing off of all use¬ 
less (and worse than useless!) surplus male's. If 
no male birds were allowed upon the farms ex¬ 
cepting the one needed for breeding, and he 
rigidly confined to the breeding pen with the 
females selected for breeding, there would be no 
“germ of life” in the eggs laid by the other fe¬ 


males, and no danger of their eggs becoming 
“struck” by the* germ’s starting to develop. We 
firmly believe that this evil is much more far- 
reaching than is above indicated. It is known 
that the germ of life in an egg will begin to de¬ 
velop in a steady temperature of 80 to 90 de¬ 
gree's, and such a temperature is frequently en¬ 
countered by eggs brought to the country stores 
to 1 >(' traded (and quite likely held a week or 
two before being sent forward to market), and 
also by eggs shipped to market in common (non¬ 
refrigerator) freight cars; and if such a load of 
eggs was side tracked for a day or two in mid¬ 
summer, the hot sun blazing upon it all day 
would heat it sufficiently to start every fertile 
egg on the way to hatching. 

In “Incubation and its Natural Laws,” Mr. 
Cyphers says:—“During the descent of the egg 
along the oviduct of the fowl, where it is ex¬ 
posed to a temperature of 110 degrees or more, 
the blastoderm undergoes important changes. 
When the egg is laid and becomes cold, the 
changes all but entirely cease, and the blasto¬ 
derm remains inactive; under the influence of 
the higher temperature of natural or artificial 
incubation, the vital activities of the germ are 
brought back into play, and the arrested changes 
go on again. In warm weather changes of the 
same kind as those caused by actual incubation 
may take place, to a certain extent, in the 
interval between laying and incubation.” There 
is the idea clearly stated, and the obvious pre¬ 
vention of the commencing of life-development 
in the eggs is the prevention of the germ of life 
getting into the egg; the remedy is simple, kill 
off the worthless (and more than worthless!) 
male birds, and allow none on the farms except¬ 
ing those needed for breeding. 

The consuming public is coming to appreciate 
the fact that unfertilized eggs are better and 
keep better, and are paying a premium of two 
or three (and even five) cents a dozen for such 
eggs; when the farmers themselves come to 
understand that their hens will lay more eggs 
when not afflicted with the attentions of a male 
bird, there will be decidedly fewer of these per¬ 
nicious creatures left to tease and annoy them. 

Further improvement will most certainly be 
made along the line of the development of the 
egg-producing instincts of the fowls, and what 
an immense improvement can be . made here! 
What a gain it would be if all the fowls of the 
United States could be brought up to even the 
modest eight and a half dozen eggs each, of the 


18 


NATURAL HABITS OF THE HEN. 


fowls of the State of Maine! The average pro¬ 
duct of the hens of the whole United States was 
(by the figures of the last census), 5.5 dozen eggs 
each, the total egg product being 1.293,819,186 
dozens; bringing the average product up to the 
8.5 dozens of the hens of Maine would add 700,- 
794, 255 dozens to that total, and add $77,437,- 
765 to the income from eggs alone. How can 
such an improvement be brought about? By 
first, converting the farmers to keeping pure 
bred stock, and, second, by breeding only from 
known great layers. By intelligently following 
this simple method the Maine Experiment 
Station has developed the laying qualities of its 
stock to a production of as high as 251 eggs in a 
year from one bird, and all the breeding stock 
in their yards are hens that have laid 180 
eggs each in a year, pullets, whose mothers 
have laid over 200 eggs in a year, and 
pullets sired by cockerels, whose mothers and 
grandmothers laid over 200 eggs each in a year. 

The time is not far distant when large egg- 
farms will be established, upon a commercial 
basis, devoted to the production of unfertilized 
eggs, (or “virgin eggs”), for supplying special 
private trade in the great cities. On such farms 
every bird consigned to the breeding pens will 
be a known great layer, and of proved great¬ 
laying ancestry, along lines similar to those laid 
down in that report of the Maine Experiment 
Station. What a power for increasing the egg- 
producing habit there is in such an ancestry! 


“All the breeding stock are hens that have laid 
180 eggs each a year, pullets whose mothers have 
laid over 200 eggs each in one year; and pullets 
sired by cockerels whose mothers and grand¬ 
mothers laid over 200 eggs each in one year.” 
Certainly the accumulated momentum of such 
egg-producing ancestry would be of tremendous 
value as compared with the hap-hazard methods 
of breeding, as conducted in the past. When 
we have developed generation after generation 
of great layers, and have the egg-proclucing 
habit fixed by breeding from birds whose fathers, 
grandfathers and great grandfathers, whose 
mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers 
were all of great laying stock, we shall have 
taken a most substantial step toward more profit¬ 
able poultry. The better-shaped market bird, 
the chicken with longer, deeper and fuller breast, 
will be developed likewise, and a uniting of the 
two strains in one is probable, with very great 
advantage to the pockets of the poultry groAver 
and the market poultry dealer. 

This. then. isAA'hat AA'e belie\ T e will be the de- 
A’elopment of the future; a decidedly greater 
egg-product, a much better quality of eggs reach¬ 
ing the tables of consumers in known good con¬ 
dition. a better quality of dressed poultry reach¬ 
ing the markets in prime condition, and an in¬ 
creasing appreciation of eggs and poultry as 
articles of food. The great consuming public 
will do its part if Ave will but do ours, and a 
mighty uplifting of this great industry will result. 



Colony Houses for the Growing Pullets, Fairview Farm. 


19 











Chapter II. 


THOROUGHBRED, OR BRED TO A PURPOSE. THE LEADING PRACTICAL BREEDS. 


W hat is a thoroughbred? Webster’s 
International Dictionary gives this 
definition: “Bred from the best 
blood through a long line; pure 
blooded,” and the Century Dictionary gives the 
definition: “Of pure or unmixed blood, stock 
or race; bred from a sire and dam of the purest 
or best blood.” A well-known judge and author¬ 
ity on breeding thoroughbred fowls states that 
they are thoroughbreds which have been bred 
to type a sufficient length of time, so that a 
majority of the progeny is true to type; or, in 
other words, when mated they reproduce their 
kind. 

In the introduction to Darwin’s “Animals 
and Plants Under Domestication,” we find: 

“Although man does not cause variability, 
and cannot even prevent it, he can select, pre¬ 
serve and accumulate the variations given to him 
by the hand of nature almost in any way which 
he chooses; and thus he can certainly produce 
a great result. Selection may be followed either 
methodically and intentionally, or unconsciously 
and unintentionally. Man may select and pre¬ 
serve each successive variation, with the distinct 
intention of improving and altering a breed, in 
accordance with a preconceived idea; and by 
thus adding up variations, often so slight as to 
be imperceptible by an uneducated eye, he has 
affected wonderful changes and improvements. 
It can, also, be clearly shown that man, without 
any intention or thought of improving the breed, 
by preserving in each successive generation the 
individuals which he prizes most, and by de- 
: stroying the worthless individuals,slowly,though 
surely, induces great changes. As the will of 
man comes into play, we can understand how 
it is that domesticated breeds show adaptation 
to his wants and pleasures. We can further un¬ 
derstand how it is that domestic races of animals 
and cultivated races of plants often exhibit an 
abnormal character, as compared with natural 
species; for they have been modified not for 
their own benefit, but for that of man.” How 


rich in suggestion is that sentence,—“By preserv¬ 
ing in each successive generation the individuals 
which he prizes most, a breeder slowly but surely 
effects great changes.” Preserving those in¬ 
dividuals which we prize most is one form of 
“selection,” even if wholly unconscious selection. 

From the article “Breeding,” in the Encyclo¬ 
pedia Britannica, we quote:—“Since a breed is. 
a domestic variety, it implies the existence of a 
group of individuals marked off from their con¬ 
geners by the possession of certain characters 
which are transmitted to their offspring. It is 
this transmission of peculiarities which is the 
essential characteristic of a breed; for any col¬ 
lection of domesticated organisms could be 
divided into groups of individuals, distinguished 
by certain points, but such groups would not 
necessarily form breeds. It is evident, then, 
that the law of heredity which asserts that ‘like 
begets like’ must hold good, or the existence of 
breeds will be an impossibility.” * * * * 

“Whatever views we may entertain, respecting 
the origin of our domestic animals and plants, 
there can be no doubt as to the matter of fact 
that breeders have always proceeded on one 
principle ,—select the best individuals in each gen¬ 
eration and pair them.” 

Speaking upon this point, Wright’s “New 
Book of Poultry” says:—“Every desired quality 
which has become characteristic of a race or 
strain of animals, is the result of repeated and 
continuous selection year after year of breed¬ 
ing stock which possesses that particular quality 
in more or less perfection. This is equally true, 
whether we consider some purely ‘fancy’ point, 
such as the pencilling of a Hamburgh pullet, or 
some useful quality such as the laying of over 
160 eggs in a year; or the profuse milk yield of 
a highly bred Jersey cow.” 

From this it is perfectly evident that birds 
which have been persistently bred for egg or 
meat production, may as rightly be called “thor¬ 
oughbred,” (if they have been bred to the type 
a sufficient length of time to have acquired the 


20 


THOROUGHBRED , OR BRED TO A PURPOSE. 


power of transmitting those characteristics to 
their offspring), as though they have been bred 
solely for the points which win ribbons in the 
show room. “It is the transmission of pecul¬ 
iarities which is the essential characteristic of a 
breed,” and the peculiarities transmitted may 
just as well be the great laying or great meat 
producing qualities. The essential point is that 
we “select” the birds possessing the desired 
characteristics, and then we accomplish our pur¬ 
pose of developing and perfecting the power of 
transmission of those peculiar characteristics. 

To make the best success in his individual 
work the poultryman must study the situation, 
learn the requirements of his especial field or 
market, and choose a breed or variety which will 
best meet those requirements. He should con¬ 
sider whether he is to build up an egg-farm pure 
and simple, or combine eggs and meat or eggs and 
fruit production, and choose accordingly; after 
he has made his choice he can, by “selecting” 
the individuals best adapted to his purpose, 
greatly improve and develop the preferred char¬ 
acteristics. The gratifying success in develop¬ 
ing the egg-producing faculties of the stock at 
the Maine Experiment Station, is rich with 
promise, and indicates what may be done by 
continued work in that field, and work being 
done at the Ontario Agricultural College Ex¬ 
perimental Station, in the direction of develop¬ 
ing an improved market poultry type of bird, is 
equally promising in that field; certain it is that 
persistent effort in these two fields will be rich¬ 
ly rewarded. 

This is an age of specialists, and the man suc¬ 
ceeds best who chooses some one line of work 
and devotes all the energy with which he is en¬ 
dowed to the development of that chosen line. 
If egg-production is his specialty he should 
choose a variety known to be prolific layers; if 
market poultry is his specialty he will need to 
choose a variety best adapted to the special line 
of trade he caters to, and if he desires to combine 
both egg and meat production, he can choose a 
variety combining both the two qualities to a 
very considerable degree. After he has chosen 
he can better his profits by selecting the best 
birds and breeding from them, as the Maine Ex¬ 
periment Station people are doing in breeding 
from “hens that have laid 180 eggs each in a 
year, pullets whose mothers have laid over 200 
eggs in one year, and whose fathers mothers 
laid over 200 eggs in a year; and pullets sired 
by cockerels whose mothers and grand¬ 


mothers laid over 200 eggs each in a year”—or 
in following the similar line of work with the 
best type of market poultry bird, generation after 
generation, as is being done at the Ontario Ex¬ 
periment Station. Persistent work along these 
lines, carefully and intelligently followed for 
generations, will intensify and develop the pe¬ 
culiar characteristics selected, and increase the 
profits from the practical poultryman’s work. 

A point in this connection that is worth noting 
is that there is a rapidly growing demand for 
breeding stock and eggs of birds of known ex¬ 
cellence in practical quality, and at prices which 
compare favorably with the prices paid for stock 
bred solely for show-points; there is good proof 
of this in the willingness of buyers to pay two and 
three dollars per sitting for eggs from known 
great layers. We recently received a letter from 
a breeder who advertises stock and eggs for sale, 
asking where a good male bird of assured great 
laying ancestry could be bought, and stating that 
he would gladly pay thirty dollars for such a bird. 
When we recall that great prices are paid for 
heifers from great milk-producing dams and 
bulls of great milk-producing ancestry, we can 
well believe that there will soon come a time 
when cockerels and pullets of great laying an¬ 
cestry will be as eagerly sought for, and will fetch 
as good prices as do the winners of the blue rib¬ 
bons at our poultry shows. 

[ The Leading Practical Varieties. 

No one variety of fowl is perfect; while all 
varieties have practical qualities of more or less 
merit, some have more than others, and the 
wise choice is to select the one that possesses 
most advantages, coupled with fewest disad¬ 
vantages. We say “select the one” advisedly, 
because the commonest mistake made by the 
beginner in poultry work is to take up two or 
three (or half a dozen) varieties, with the mis¬ 
taken idea that he will learn by experience which 
one is the best for him and then keep only that 
one. The ordinary life of a man is none too long 
a time in which to fully master and develop to 
its best all that there is in one variety of fowls, 
and the man who takes up several has not time 
to carefully study their various good points; he 
gets at best but a superficial knowledge of them, 
and will find himself at the end of a few years, in 
the unfortunate position of the man who is “A 
Jack of all trades but master of none!” Besides 
all of that ground has been gone over again and 
again, the qualities of all varieties have been fully 


21 


PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 



tested and discussed publicly for years, hence 
all that is necessary is to intelligently survey 
the field, decide what special merits one wants 
in a variety, and concentrate all one’s energies 
and ability upon the further development of 
those merits; he will then find that one life¬ 
time is all too short for him to accomplish his 
fullest ambition. 

We give in this and the following pages, illus¬ 
trations and brief descriptions of the most pop¬ 
ular egg-farm breeds, and the best combined egg 
and meat producers, the exigencies of space 
limiting our selection to those that the ex¬ 
perience of practical poultrymen approves as 
the best. We will consider the White Leghorns 
and Black Minorcas as the great egg producers, 


Single Comb White Leghorns. 

and the Barred,White and Buff Plymouth Rocks 
White and Buff Wyandottes, and Rhode Island 
Reds as the best combined eggs and meat 
varieties; with a brief mention of Orpingtons 
and Light Brahmas. 

Single Comb White Leghorns, the Most Popular 
Egg-Farm Breed. 

The White Leghorn is the popular egg-farm 
breed, especially on the large and highly suc¬ 
cessful egg-farms of New York State and New 
Jersey. They are prolific layers of good-sized, 
white eggs, non-sitters, mature early, and are 
especially hardy. They are of an active, ner¬ 
vous temperament and naturally great foragers, 
but do well in semi-confinement, excepting that 


it is somewhat difficult to confine them in yards; 
some Leghorn breeders find it necessary to 
cover over the tops of the yards with old fish¬ 
netting, to keep the male birds where they be¬ 
long. 

When bred with a special view to good size 
they are fair meat producers and in some parts 
of the country, particularly in Southern New 
Jersey, they are extensively bred for the produc¬ 
tion of squab-broilers^ broilers and small soft- 
roasters. As, however, the cockerels begin to 
grow “hard” very early, they must be fatted and 
marketed by the time they dress five to six 
pounds to the pair, and we need to keep in mind 
that while they can be thus made into profitable 
market poultry, they are first and always an 
egg-breed, and their market 
poultry value is of minor 
consideration. 

The White Leghorns are 
particularly attractive fowls, 
their clear white p 1 u m age, 
bright red combs and wattles, 
white earlobes, clear eyes, 
smooth, yellow legs, long, full 
tails, sprightly, active man¬ 
ner, and graceful carriage 
make them favorites with 
lovers of beautiful fowls. 

The Leghorns are non- 
sitters, hence do not trouble 
or annoy their owners by 
frequently becoming broody. 
This is of very great advantage 
to the egg-farmer, whose 
object is to produce guaran¬ 
teed fresh eggs, as there is 
no danger that a broody 
hen will snuggle down upon the eggs and 
start development of the germ of life before 
the eggs are collected. The greatest ad¬ 
vantage, however, is that egg-production is not 
interrupted by attacks of broodiness, and the 
Leghorn hen attends strictly to business with¬ 
out the owner having to be continually fussing 
with broody hens. Although naturally timid 
and very active, Leghorns can,with good care and 
judgment, be easily managed, and there is no 
need of their becoming “wild” birds. 

The egg-farmer keeping Leghorns, finds 
incubators and brooders a necessity for hatching 
and raising the stock, and this has a good effect 
on the disposition of the birds, for their natur¬ 
ally timid, nervous temperament is softened and 


22 



THOROUGHBRED, OR BRED TO A PURPOSE. 



Poultry 

Journai 

C»v'U«HT£j 




Black Miuorcas. 


subdued by the familiarity 
w i t h the caretaker w h i c h 
comes of the artificial raising. 

The various families of Leg¬ 
horns are the common fowls of 
Italy, and owe the name by 
which they are popularly 
known in America and Eng- 
•land solely to the fact that 
they were brought to this 
country from the port of 
Leghorn, in Italy. They were 
bought up in the markets of 
that city by the captains of 
American ships, homeward 
bound, to furnish eggs and an 
occasional roast or boiled fowl 
for the cabin table on the 
voyage; to the simple fact 
that some of these common 
fowls bought in Leghorn were not used on 
the voyage and were sold when the ship reached 
New \ ork, they are indebted for their introduc¬ 
tion into this country and the name given them. 
Having won the reputation of being great layers, 
it is small wonder that shipmasters were in¬ 
structed to bring over more “Leghorns” and 
direct importations began, but that they were 
very much mixed is proved by the fact that the 
same matings threw both rose and single-combed 
birds, and the fowls were of various colors,— 
brown, white, black, buff and cuckoo. To 
American breeders belongs the credit of separat¬ 
ing them into distinct families, and by selection 
and careful breeding bringing forth the dis¬ 
tinct varieties now so well and favorably known. 
In the little pamphlet “The Leghorn,” bv F. H. 
Ayers, the Brown, (then called “Red”), Leg¬ 
horns are reported as being wonderful layers, and 
Mr. L. K. Felch is quoted as saying of them: 
“These fowls as egg-producers were truly mar¬ 
velous. I have known of a hen. of the original 
importation, laying one hundred and fifty-nine 
eggs in succession, and have the assertion of a 
friend that one laid two hundred and seventy-five 
eggs in a year; but the largest number of which 
I know personally, and which I deem very ex¬ 
traordinary, was two hundred and fifty. An 
average has been in my experience from one 
hundred and seventy-five eggs to two hundred 
in a year. With good care two hundred eggs 
may not be despaired of.” 

With such a reputation as great egg pro¬ 
ducers, it is not at all strange that the Leghorns 


became the approved egg-farm breed, and as the 
White Leghorns were the simplest and easiest 
to breed, it became the most popular variety. 

The Black Minorcas. 

STANDARD WEIGHTS. 

Cock.8 lbs. Hen .lbs. 

Cockerel.6^ lbs. Pullet .5} lbs. 

The Black Minorcas are less well-known than 
they should be, in fact, as an egg-farm breed 
the writer does not recall ever having found 
them used on a large scale. This is somewhat 
surprising in view of the fact that they are cred¬ 
ited with being equally prolific layers with the 
Leghorns, and that they lay a large white egg; 
this would seem to especially qualify them for 
use on egg farms which are catering to a partic¬ 
ularly select family-trade, a trade which is 
willing to pay a considerable premium for an 
especially nice article. 

There is little doubt that the Black Minorca 
of today is, practically, the “ Spanish ” * of 
forty or fifty years ago,—the time before the 
several sub-varieties of Spanish were developed. 
In the White-Faced Black Spanish, which re¬ 
tains the family name, the special development 
of the eccentric and abnormally large white face 
has practically annihilated the useful qualities 
of this famous variety, and it is not impossible 
that this fact has in a way been a handicap to 
the Black Minorcas. The latter, however, 
seem to have preserved the natural practical 
qualities of the race and retain the prolific laying 
habit, along with the natural strength and vigor, 


23 









PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


active, nervous temperament and good size for 
which the family is well-known. 

Speaking of their naturally good qualities, 
Brown’s “ Pleasureable Poultry Keeping ” says: 
“The Minorca has, during the past fifteen 
years, won a very prominent position, and tak¬ 
ing the number and weight of eggs, it is 
probably the most prolific fowl we have. It 
lays large, white-shelled eggs, and hens of this 
variety in their first year often average 170 
and 180 eggs.” 

In addition to the number and size of Black 
Minorca eggs they are to be credited with 
beginning to lay at a very early age, and 
continue to be profitable layers for a longer 
period of time than almost any other bird of which 
we have knowledge. They are excellent forag¬ 
ers, strong and active, always on the alert for 
any natural advantages that come within their 
reach, and having little tendency to lay on 
fat, the food they consume gives profitable 
returns in the form of eggs. 

The white skin, somewhat marred by the 
black pin feathers and black legs, is a handicap 
from the market poultry standpoint, but the 
flesh is of an excellent flavor, deliciously tender 
in the younger birds, and with such a consider¬ 
ably larger amount of flesh than is found in the 
Leghorn it is, as we stated, a matter of a surprise 
that the Black Minorca is not more generally 
utilized as an egg-farm breed. 

The Plymouth Rocks. 

(Barred, White and Buff.) 

STANDARD WEIGHTS: 

Cock.lbs. Hen. 7\ lbs. 

Cockerel.8 lbs. Pullet .6^ lbs. 

The Plymouth Rocks are pre-eminently an all¬ 
purpose breed. They are not only great layers 
of good sized brown eggs, but they take high 
rank as meat producers also. For egg-farm pur¬ 
poses it would be difficult to name a breed com¬ 
bining great laying ability with meat producing 
qualities in so high a degree, and they are a 
most satisfying bird in every sense of the 
word. The Plymouth Rock is a “ made ” breed, 
and originated in a cross of an American Domi¬ 
nique cock on black Java hens. The “ Cuckoo ” 
marking of the original Plymouth Rock was 
received from the Dominique male, and the 
size, station, single comb, etc., from the dam. 
It is practically certain that the blood of other 
breeds has now and then been introduced into 


the Plymouth Rocks, which has given them 
size, type, greater uniformity of plumage and 
the desirable yellow beak and legs. Their re¬ 
markable hardiness is one of their strongest 
claims to popular favor; being an American 
breed, accustomed for many generations to 
the extremely changeable and trying New 
England climate, and being thoroughly accli¬ 
mated, they would be placed among the very 
first for hardiness and vitality. Writing of 
them nearly twenty years ago, the American 
Poultry Yard said: “ The perennial popularity 
of the Plymouth Rock is something wonder¬ 
ful to those who do not know its real merits, 
but to those Avho do, to those who know that 
it is hardy, healthy, vigorous, prolific, 
excellent for the table and thoroughly adapted 
to the requirements of an American market 
and an American climate, there is nothing 
wonderful at all.” 

The Barred Plymouth Rocks. 

The Barred Plymouth Rocks, the original of 
the several varieties of Rocks, are the most 
popular and most widely bred variety of fowls 
in the world today. They enjoy the distinction 
of being the first breed of domestic fowls pro¬ 
duced in America, and their eminently practical 
qualities have won for them and their sterling 
merits have held a place in the very front rank 
of popular favor; they are noted for being bred 
by a greater number of persons and in greater 
numbers than any other one variety of fowls. 

“The Barred Plymouth Rocks commend 
themselves to the lovers of useful breeds. Of 
all our domestic fowls, this breed stands the 
highest for general purposes. They almost vie 
with the Asiatics in size, the Leghorns in egg 
production, the Dorkings in quality of flesh, and 
the Dominiques in hardiness and adaptation to 
climatic changes. They combine more useful 
qualities than any other breed known to us, and 
fill the void between the size and weight of the 
Asiatics and the European fowls.” 

Mr. E. B. Thompson, of Amenia, N. Y., a well- 
known Plymouth Rock expert, writes of the 
Barred variety: “The Plymouth Rock is a pro¬ 
duct of American skill and breeding, and there 
is no other variety we can put on the markets 
of the world with so much pride, and none other 
is received at our shows by foreign fanciers with 
so much favor. They have taken their place at 
the front without need of booming, and today 
stand acknowledged without an equal, as the 


24 






THOROUGHBRED, OR BRED TO A PURPOSE. 


best general-purpose fowl. 

They are rapid growers and 
make plump, juicy broilers at 
from eight to twelve weeks old. 

They have no successful rival 
among the pure breeds as a 
market fowl. They are great 
favorites with farmers and 
market men, who breed this 
variety more extensively than 
all other pure breeds combined. 

The popularity of the Plymouth 
Hock as a fanciers’ fowl has 
never been reached by any 
other breed. Its popularity is 
based on its practical utility 
worth, and as a practical-fancy 
fowl, the Barred Plymouth 
Rock has come to stay. They 
are excellent all the year round 
layers, and will lay as many 
eggs as any breed that incu¬ 
bates and rears its young. 

In some of the smaller breeds 
we may get better layers but 
less size. The larger breeds 
give us no more eggs, if as 
many, and are later maturing 
and lack the sprightliness 
and elasticity of movement 
so much admired in the Ply¬ 
mouth Rock. The Barred Plymouth Rock class 
at our American shows is nearly always the 
largest, and the birds usually command a higher 
price than any other American breed, which 
proves their sterling merit. 

“New breeds have come and gone, but the 
Barred Plymouth Rock with its good qualities 
remains invincible. They are practical fowls, 
well suited to the wants and conditions of those 
who desire eggs, meat and feathers combined in 
one breed.” 

The general verdict of Plymouth Rock breed¬ 
ers can be encompassed in the words of a noted 
fancier and judge. ‘‘The Plymouth Rock is, 
beyond all question, the best general-purpose 
fowl of all the breeds before the public. They 
have been before the public many years, have 
borne the competition of other fowls, have been 
subjected to every test that fowls could be sub¬ 
jected to,and have come out of all these trials still 
as much praised and as much liked, both by the 
fancier and general public, as when they were 
first known. Two things are demanded of the 


Barred Plymouth Rocks. 

perfect fowl—a large amount of good meat when 
on the table, and a large laying capacity. It is 
safe to say that no other breed combines these 
two qualities as well as the Plymouth Rock. 
There may be hens that will lay more eggs, 
though we doubt it. Taken weight for weight, 
we have never seen the fowl that could equal the 
Plymouth Rocks, and certainly no fowl sur¬ 
passes them for table use. They are a beautiful 
breed, combining with their large size, beauty of 
carriage to a degree not common with fowls'. 
The only fault that can be found with them is 
the tendency to breed back to show some of the 
characteristics of the breeds from which they 
are derived; but those showing only the best 
points should be kept for breeding purposes. 
For the farm no fowl is equal to the Plymouth 
Rock.” 

The White Plymouth Rocks. 

The White Plymouth Rocks originated as sports 
from the Barred. It is no uncommon thing for 
parti-colored fowls to throw now and then a 



•R!U*6ir 


mss 

i - •*< 


:K,;. 




25 






PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 



♦ - ^ - •••• v 


White Plymouth Rocks. 


white chick, and to Mr. 0. F. Frost, of Maine, 
is given the credit of first “mating” a male and 
female of these white sports, and by careful se¬ 
lection of the whitest of their offspring for breed¬ 
ing the pure white color became fixed and they 
now breed true. “Like their excellent progen¬ 
itors, the White Rocks are plump, compact, full 
breasted and bodied fowls, hardy and vigorous, 
great layers and excellent flesh formers, hand¬ 
some in looks and carriage, showing well on the 
lawn or in the exhibition coop. The name itself 
will be a passport to popular favor, for whoever 
has heard of the noted Barred Plymouth Rocks 
will take it for granted that their offspring must 
be a ‘chip of the old block,’ and they will be 
found worthy of a place in the front ranks, where 
beauty and utility go hand in hand.” 

It is the combining of beauty and utility that 
most strongly recommends a breed or variety to 
popular favor, and in the White Rocks the two 
qualities are combined to a remarkable 
degree. On the beauty side their fine, stately 
carriage, clear white color, bright red combs and 


wattles, with rich yellow beak 
and legs, make them of most 
attractive appearance; while on 
the utility side their great lay¬ 
ing ability combined with good 
size of body and fine quality of 
flesh, make them equal to the 
best. In view of this strong com¬ 
bination of undoubted merits, it 
is not at all strange they are a 
very popular variety. 

The Buff Plymouth Rocks. 

The Buff Plymouth Rocks, 
like the senior variety, the 
Barred, is a made variety, and it 
is not improbable that there are 
some strains of the variety that 
are of entirely different origin 
from others. The earlier strains 
of Buff Rocks were undoubtedly 
made by mating Single Comb 
Rhode Island Reds with White 
Rocks, and breeding back and 
forth within those matings until 
the desired size, color and shape 
became (comparatively) fixed. 
In spite of the fact that the 
origin of Buff Rocks is so well 
known we have recently seen it 
stated that there was no Rhode 
Island Red blood in them, that they origi¬ 
nated in a cross of Buff Leghorn male on 
Buff Cochin females, and the tendency to feath¬ 
ered legs bred out of them; it is probable that 
some strains of Buff Rocks were thus originated, 
but the Rhode Island Red paternity is well 
known, and the great laying ability combined 
with vigor inherited from the Reds, has made a 
variety that makes a strong claim to popular 
favor, based upon both the utility and beauty 
qualities. Dr. 0. P. Bennett, in the Reliable 
Poultry Journal, says: “As egg producers I 
found them superior to the larger breeds, and 
with proper care they will equal the smaller and 
non-sitting breeds—they lay their eggs in the 
winter when eggs are most valuable, and they 
keep at it, too. Buff Plymouth Rocks are ex¬ 
tremely hardy, are good foragers, and in size 
many of them equal Asiatics. They grow rapidly, 
mature early and are ready for market at any 
time, retaining their plumpness during their 
growth. When dressed they present a very neat 
appearance, having a nice yellow skin, legs and 


26 







THOROUGHBRED, OR BRED TO .4 PURPOSE. 



Buff Plymouth Rocks. 


meat, and there are no un¬ 
sightly dark pinfeathers to 
mar the carcasss; their meat is 
rich, tender and toothsome.’' 

The White and Buff 
Wyandottes. 

Standard Weights. 

Cock,.lbs. 

Cockerel,.74 lbs. 

Hen, .. 

Pullet, 

The Wyandottes are like 
Plymouth Rocks in that they 
are a made breed and are 
American made, and they 
compete with Plymouth Rocks 
for first place in popularity, 
as an all-purpose fowl. As 
egg producers they are quite 
the ecpial of the Plymouth 
Rocks, and lay the brown egg much de¬ 
sired in most of the great markets. They 
are a pound lighter in weights, which is a 
handicap when size only is considered; but 
when we remember that the difference in size is 
largely in frame (which is waste), and that the 
particularly plump, full-breasted carcass of 
the Wyandotte is heavy in the quality of meat 
most desired, it will be seen that the advantage 
is with the Wyandottes. The fact, too, that 
the plumpness of body is attained very early in 
life is decidedly in their favor, particularly as a 
broiler chick and soft roaster, since they avoid 
the undesirable length of leg and thinness of flesh 
which makes some of the larger varieties so un¬ 
desirable during chicken size. 

The Silver Laced Wyandottes were the orig¬ 
inals of the several families of the.name, and the 
Silver Wyandottes were the result of several 
crosses; which accounts for the unusual excel¬ 
lences of the breed, since they combine the good 
qualities of several different varieties. The 
original stock was derived from a cross of Silver 
Spangled Hamburg and Buff Cochin, and they 
were at first called “Sebright Cochins. ’ ’ As 
would naturally be expected, both single and 
rose combs, and likewise feathered and clean 
legged birds were the result of early matings. 
Later, a cross of Silver Spangled Hamburg and 
Brahma appeared, and a uniting of the two dif¬ 
ferent strains produced a superior type of fowl, 


which was admitted to the Standard under the 
name of Wyandotte in 1883. 

The making of a Buff-Laced variety of Wyan¬ 
dotte, which was given the name of Golden Wy¬ 
andotte to distinguish it from the first variety, 
which was called Silver Laced, was followed by 
the breeding of white sports which appeared 
from the Silvers; these produced the variety 
called White Wyandottes. The difficulty of 
breeding a laced feather, with a black edge and 
clear white or clear buff center, was a handicap 
to the Silver and Golden varieties, and as the 
White variety possessed all the economic merits 
of their predecessors, and added to their remark¬ 
able attractiveness the quality of breeding true 
to type, they soon distanced their older sisters 
in popular favor, and have become close rivals of 
the Barred Rocks for first place in popularity 
as an all-purpose breed. 

Writing about them in his book on the Wyan¬ 
dottes, published in 1891, Mr. Joseph Wallace 
says: 

“As egg producers and table fowl, the Whites 
are equal to the Laced. They have the same 
plump bodies, constitutional vigor, physical 
beauty, commanding carriage, standard points, 
and the only difference is the color. They can 
be used at an early age for broilers and roasters. 
The adult males will weigh from seven to eight 
pounds, and the females from six to seven 
pounds. These weights, in a comparatively 


27 







PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 



White Wyandottes. 

short and clean-limbed fowl, indicate a solid, 
compact flesh-former, with little offal. 

“Although utility is the leading merit and 
strongest recommendation to all interested in 
poultry keeping, the Whites are also a clean cut 
and comely variety. This is associated with 
their usefulness; and no breeder speaks of one 
without coupling it with the other, as by com¬ 
mon consent they are pronounced a handsome 
variety of fowl. In the showroom or on the 
green lawn they are pretty and attractive. 
White breeds having been comparatively rare 
until the past decade, the color is always pleas¬ 
ing to the beholder, whether he breeds fowls or 
not; and the only reason that can be given 
now for the sudden change of mind in breeding 
and booming the white varieties is that they 
have become popular among the people by rea¬ 
son of fanciers’ catering to the tastes of the 
masses. The rich, red comb, like a full blown rose 
growing on the head, red face, ear-lobes and 
pendant wattles, contrasting with a white 
plumage and yellow legs, is both pleasing and 
attractive.” 

From Bulletin No. 31 of the U. S. Department 
of Agriculture, written by T. F. McGrew, we 
quote the following paragraph on their utility 
qualities: 

“The White Wyandotte is without question 
the model for market poultry. The compact 
form and full, plump breast give the desired 
broiler as well as the most perfect roaster. The 


color of the meat and skin is 
of that attractive yellow so 
much in demand in our mark¬ 
ets. It has the combination 
of attractive shape and color, 
and the white plumage re¬ 
moves all chance of prejudice 
so often advanced against dark 
pin feathers, thus giving it 
three very important advan¬ 
tages for sale as market 
poultry. ’ ’ 

Mr. Arthur G. Duston of 
Marlboro, Mass., a man of 
extensive personal experience 
in the production of broilers, 
says: “ The White Wyandottes 
stand heavy feed and forcing 
better than any other variety; 
will produce a two-pound 
broiler in eight weeks, and 
they will stand on their 
legs where Plymouth Rocks would be roll¬ 
ing on their sides with the same food. By 
continuing the regular food we have made five 
and five-eighths pound roasters at fifteen weeks.” 
There could hardly be a stronger argument in 
favor of the White Wyandottes for broilers and 
roasters than this. Such results can only be 
produced by knowing how, and by a common 
sense application of the knowledge; but what 
one man has done another may do. 

We again quote Mr. Duston: “Their good 
qualities are many. Deep, short bodies, stout 
legs, a close comb that withstands the extreme 
cold weather better than a single comb will; a 
hardy bird that matures in five and six months; 
yellow legs and skin; lavs a brown egg; a 
splendid family fowl. On the lawn their white 
plumage and red combs make a picture with 
the green grass for a background, and a fancier 
will find in them full use for all the experience 
he possesses to breed them to standard require¬ 
ments. I have sold hundreds to dress eight 
ounces and they were as ‘ round as a butter ball, ’ 
this being one of their most important merits, 
that when properly fed they are always ready for 
market. As pullets the White Wyandottes 
mature a full month earlier than the Plymouth 
Rocks, thus giving-eggs for early hatching. ” 
The Wyandottes are easily confined by a four- 
foot wire fence and do well in confinement. On 
range they are particularly good foragers, and 
on the farm if given their freedom will pick up 


28 






THOROUGHBRED, OR BRED TO A PURPOSE. 



a large part of their living. 

They make excellent sitters 
and mothers. Being very 
hardy and exceptional layers 
of strongly fertilized eggs they 
are readily adaptable to hatch¬ 
ing and raising by artificial 
means. There is nothing 
prettier or that will appeal 
more promptly to the heart 
of a poultry man than an in¬ 
cubator full of sturdy, downy 
white chicks. 

Mrs. J. 1). Barnes of Wen- 
ham, Mass., says: “There is 
no breed like the White Wyan¬ 
dotte for eggs, for broilers and 
roasters, and for exhibition. 

We raise nearly all of ours in 
brooders, as they grow faster, 
do better and look better 
than when we use hens.” 

The Buff Wyandotte. 

Coming into the field at a later day, but pos¬ 
sessing remarkable elements of popularity, the 
Buff Wyandottes are pushing to the front as an 
all-purpose variety; they are proving them¬ 
selves great layers, are plump, full-breasted 
broilers and soft roasters; they are equal to the 
best, and their attractive golden-buff plumage, 
with bright yellow skin and legs, marks them 
as destined to reach the first rank in popular 
favor. 

The Buff Wyandottes, like their Silver an¬ 
cestors, had two or three different origins, and 
it is certain that Rhode Island Red blood was 
used in the making of them, just as in making 
the Buff Plymouth Rocks. In the U. S. Bulle¬ 
tin on the Wyandottes, Mr. McGrew speaks of 
the Buffs as being formed from a Wyandotte- 
Buff Cochin cross, others being from a Rhode 
Island Red-Wyandotte cross and others from 
still different crosses, and says: 

“The Buff Wyandotte is nearer related to 
the Asiatic family than any of the older Wyan¬ 
dotte varieties, as the latter were crossed again 
upon the Cochin to gain the desired color. The 
original Fall River strain (so-called) came as 
the result of an unguided cross of Silver-Laced 
Wyandottes and Rhode Island Reds. The 
Rhode Island Red, a cross-bred farm fowl, in 
union with the Wyandottes, which were placed 
among the Reds to advance their value as market 


Buff Wyandottes. 

poultry, gave a product that was molded into 
the proper form and color for the Buff Wyan¬ 
dottes. The Rhode Island Red was largely 
descended from the early Asiatics, and thus 
gave renewed strength to these later blood lines, 
and adding to, rather than detracting from, the 
tendency toward Asiatic form. This strain was 
badly handicapped with black in tail and wings, 
an inheritance from both ancestors. The 
union of these two strains gave strength and 
character and better color. 

“As an all-purpose fowl, or the combination 
egg and dressed-poultry producer, the White 
and Buff Wyandottes would be very hard to 
outclass.” 

The Rhode Island Reds. 

The Rhode Island Red, as its name indicates, 
originated in Rhode Island and is red in color. 
Unlike some of the other breeds we have been 
considering, it was not so much “ made ” as the 
result of rather promiscuous crossing, and it is 
of decidedly mixed ancestry. The story is 
interesting. Mr. Wm. Tripp of Little Compton, 
R. I., and Mr. John Macomber of the adjoining 
town of Westport, Mass., both drove teams to 
New Bedford as marketmen, selling dressed 
poultry and eggs. Desiring something better 
than the common fowls of that region, they 
began crossing different strains to get better 
layers and also better looking poultry for the 
market. Mr. Tripp is said to have bred his 


29 





PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 



Rhode Island Red Cock, 

Bred By P. R. Park, Reading, Mass. 


birds from a Malar-Brahma cross, while Mr. 
Macomber got his from putting a Chittagong 
cock with pullets he had raised from what was 
called the Cochin-China. The result of a uniting 
of these two varieties proved so satisfactory 
that they kept on improving them by selecting 
the best laying pullets and cockerels, and in that 
way improved their laying qualities and got 
birds that would dress off with the best appear¬ 
ance for market fowls. As would naturally be 
expected with so much Asiatic blood in them 
most of the birds had feathered legs and feet, 
but by continuous picking out both pullets and 
cockerels that were clean legged, and also those 
that had the brightest yellow legs, the objection¬ 
able characteristics were gradually eliminated. 
A visit to the Tiverton, Little Compton and 
Westport farms on which the Reds are so ex¬ 
tensively raised, shows them as breeding all 
sorts and conditions of legs and combs, and Mr. 
Isaac Wilbur of Little Compton, who usually 
wintered four thousand of them, once told us 
that he commonly got clean legged and feathered 
legged, also single-comb and pea-comb birds, 
from every hatch. 

A Dr. Aldrich of Fall River became interested 
in this popular farm-fowl, bought a few pullets 
and cockerels and exhibited them at New York 
in 1892, and won prizes on them there in the 
miscellaneous class as “ Rhode Island Reds.” 


With the reputation of being most prolific 
layers of good brown eggs and of being plump 
bodied and fine meated it is not strange that they 
have proven very popular as all-purpose fowls. 
Writing of them in the Reliable Poultry Journal 
of November, 1901, Mr. Theo. Hewes says: 

“ In our candid opinion there is a great future 
for the Rhode Island Reds. The fowl itself is 
attractive. It has a deep keel-bone, plenty 
of meat in front, good hams and stands well up 
on its legs. The females are remarkably good 
layers and keep at it almost constantly both 
winter and summer. They make good mothers 
and. owing to the amount of crossing that has 
been done to bring them as near perfection as 
they are, they have all the vigor of several breeds 
in one. in fact it is so great that a large per cent, 
of the eggs hatch and ninety per cent, of the 
chicks hatched should live. This is not exag¬ 
gerated in the least, especially when proper care 
is given in the management after the chicks are 
hatched. The vigor of the young chicks is 
something remarkable and their growth to 
maturity is rapid and they are laying eggs before 
other breeds begin to think about it. Still, 
they are heavy enough for table fowls and in 
some cases are heavier even than the Wyan- 
dottes or Plymouth Rocks.” 

The Orpingtons, Black and Buff. 

An English variety named Orpingtons, because 
originated at Orpington House-Farm, is giving 
evidence of great practical qualities and has de¬ 
cided merit as a combination eggs and meat 
breed. There are several varieties of Orping¬ 
tons, the Blacks and Buffs being most popu¬ 
lar; and of the Blacks and Buffs there are both 
rose and single-combed varieties. 

The Black Orpingtons were the first origi¬ 
nated, and were made with the intention of 
creating an all-purpose fowl,—that is, a fowl 
that would combine the qualities of great laying 
ability with superior meat production. In 
making the Black Orpingtons, Black Minorca 
cocks that had red ear-lobes were mated with 
some black Plymouth Rock pullets, which were 
sports from American Barred Rocks, and with 
the choicest pullets of that cross was mated a 
good Langshan male of the old, short-leggecl 
type,—the tendency to feathered shanks coming 
in with the Langshans was bred out by selection 
and careful breeding. The result was birds that 
were unusual late-autumn and winter layers 


30 






THOROUGHBRED, OR BRED TO A PURPOSE. 



Buff Orpingtons. 

qualities they are excellent layers, and as they 
produce very large sized eggs, of superior dark 
brown color, which command a substantial 
premium where fancy eggs are appreciated, it 
is obvious that they deserve attention simply 
as egg producers. In some sections, notably 
in southeastern Massachusetts there are con¬ 
siderable poultry farms stocked wholly with 
Light Brahmas; probably not such Light 
Brahmas as the enthusiastic show-point breed¬ 
ers would admire, but possessing practical 
qualities of very great merit. We once had a 
stock of “early laying” Light Brahmas, some¬ 
what below the standard weights in size, rather 
finer boned and chunkier bodied but pretty 
good Light Brahmas for all that, that could be 
grown to laying maturity before they were six 
months old, and were most prolific layers of 
eggs of the highest quality in size and color. 
Mr. Silberstein, a well-known breeder of Light 
Brahmas three or four years ago and the inven¬ 
tor of the Eureka Trap Nest, had great laying 
Light Brahmas, individual pullets of which 
made records of 191, 197, 210, and 233 eggs 
each, within a year of laying maturity, and with 
such great laying stock to breed from undoubt¬ 
edly those records could be improved upon, and 
the prolific laying habit so fixed that 200 eggs 
each within a year would not be difficult to 
attain. 

Considering, then, the very high quality eggs 
of Light Brahmas and their superior merit as 


of brown-shelled eggs, and 
also fine bodied, long-deep 
breasted, white-skinned birds. 

The Buff Orpingtons were 
similarly made by crossing 
Golden Spangled H a m b u r g 
cocks on Dorking hens, and 
mating a Buff Cochin cock 
with the pullets of the first 
cross. 

The Orpingtons have all the 
strength and vigor of cross¬ 
breds, and as egg producers, 
especially in autumn and 
winter, when eggs bring the 
highest prices, they are re¬ 
markable; they lay also the 
brown, or brown-tinted eyes 
which are much preferred and 
command a premium in the 
market. In size they rank 
about with the Plymouth 
Rocks,' but are naturally somewhat shorter- 
legged, and of a more chunky-bodied build, 
with the round, full breast which indicates 
strength and vigor and gives an abundance of 
breast meat. One disadvantage which they 
have for Americans is the white skin and legs, 
and so long as the consumers prefer yellow 
skinned and yellow meated fowls, it is the part of 
wisdom of the producers to cater to that pref¬ 
erence. There would be little difficulty in 
overcoming this handicap with the Buff Orping¬ 
tons, since a pure buff variety naturally favors 
the yellow skin, hence breeding and feeding for 
yellow skin would soon give them that desired 
quality. It might be objected that when the 
breeder had accomplished this purpose his birds 
would no longer be Orpingtons, since it is im¬ 
perative that they have white flesh and legs. 


Light Brahmas. 


STANDARD WEIGHTS. 


Coc-k.12 lbs. Hen.9^ lbs. 

Cockerel.10 “ Pullet.8 “ 


At first thought it seems strange to list the 
Light Brahmas among the leading practical 
breeds, since they are the largest fowls in the 
world and usually classed first on the list 
of market-poultry breeds. Notwithstanding 
which fact there is good reason for considering 
them among profitable egg and market poultry 
producers combined. Bred for practical 


31 







PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 



Light Brahmas. 

meat producers, it will be conceded that they 
have excellent qualities' which fairly entitle 
them to be considered as profitable all-purpose 
fowls. A well-known poultry editor writing 
of this breed, says: 

“ The Light Brahma is one of the oldest and 
best known breeds. They are the largest varie¬ 
ty of fowl, a very hardy meat producing breed, 
and good layers, of large brown eggs. Their 
beautiful plumage, a happy combination of 
black and white, small pea combs, red faces and 
earlobes, and heavily booted, yellow legs, to¬ 
gether with their proud, stately carriage make 
them a very attractive fowl. Although con¬ 
sidered chiefly a meat breed they are, when 
properly handled, excellent layers, and being 
fine winter layers they produce the most of their 
eggs in the season when eggs command the 
highest prices. 

“The Brahmas make good sitters and mothers 
but are somewhat more clumsy then the lighter 
w r eight sitters. Their extreme hardiness makes 
them particularly easy to raise by artificial 
means. They are exceedingly tame and gentle 
and are easily confined by a low fence. For a 


large breed they mature early, 
the pullets being ready to lay 
w r hen from seven to nine 

months old. This variety is 
especially popular with grow¬ 
ers of winter roasters and is 
also widely used for growing 
broilers and frying chickens, 
both straight bred and used 
as the foundation or under¬ 
cross. As large roasters the 
full grown fowls are unsurpass¬ 
ed by any pure breed. The 
growers of winter roasters in 
eastern Massachusetts use 
Light Brahmas almost ex¬ 

clusively. Their gentle dis¬ 
position and the ease with 

which they may be confined, 
with their ability to do better 
in limited quarters than al¬ 
most any other varietv, make 
them especially valuable. 

“This breed will prove ex¬ 
ceedingly valuable for those 
whose space is limited and who 
desire to try profitable poul¬ 
try keeping on a city lot or 
village acre. As a city breed¬ 
er once said, ‘The Brahmas are an ideal 

fowl where lack of ground-room would 
forbid the keeping of other varieties. They 
do well, with good care, in a space that 

would seem scarcely ‘ turning about room ’ 
for other fowls, and they will lay quite as 
many eggs as the other meat producing varie¬ 
ties. Then when one wants a fowl or roaster for 
the family dinner, it is only necessary to kill 
one bird to get eight or ten pounds of dressed 
poultry, which is a decided advantage to the 
man who keeps a small flock. ’ ” 

The Light Brahma is deservedly popular, 
the most popular variety of the Asiatic class, 
and is a formidable rival of the leading American 
general purpose varieties. The following state¬ 
ment by Mr. I. K. Felch will be endorsed by all 
who know and love this grand fowl: “ The 
breeder who took the Light Brahmas in his 
keeping fifty years ago, acknowledging their 
worth then, is today their staunch friend, and 
he tells you with the same enthusiasm that they 
are the best fowl on earth when they are allowed 
to appear in the shape and color that is then* 
birthright.” 


32 



Chapter III. 

PEDIGREE BREEDING FOR EGG PRODUCTION. BUILDING UP AND MAINTAINING 
AN EGG LAYING STRAIN. PROFITABLE USE OF TRAP NESTS. 


TW yt uch attention is being given toimprov- 
▼j ing the laying quality of our fowls, 

"■M- and as the production of eggs in 

,, ^ | liberal quantity, and especially at the 
time of highest prices, greatly increases 
the profits, it is obvious that the choice of a 
suitable breed or variety for the special purpose 
is most important; and not only that the right 
choice be made, but that the stock be improved 
in laying quality by breeding from the most 
prolific layers of the chosen variety. A dairy 
farmer selects from the most noted dairy breeds 
for his herd, and similarly the egg farmer should 
select from the best laying varieties of fowls for 
his egg producers,—failure to do this handicaps 
a man from the start. 

There is a great variety of fowls now being 
bred, and this variety offers a poultry farmer a 
wide field for selection; he should remember, 
however, that of these numerous varieties not 
all are adapted to his purpose. One breed may 
give excellent satisfaction with one poultry 
keeper while another may find the same breed 
quite unsatisfactory, possibly because he does 
not keep them under the conditions which en¬ 
ables them to thrive best; under such condi¬ 
tions the very best of egg producers might not 
prove to be satisfactory layers. 

After he has made his selection the wideawake, 
up-to-date poultryman will ever be on the look¬ 
out to improve his fowls for his purpose. He 
should not be content with simply choosing 
what he thinks is the best variety; selection of 
the best specimens of the variety should be 
continued year after year, and the fowls be 
continually improved for the special purpose 
for which they are kept. 

As practiced by most farmers the selecting of 
eggs for hatching is decidedly faulty, and often 
leads to steady deterioration of the flock. 
This is due to the fact that the eggs are selected 
instead of the selection being of the fowls that 
produce the eggs. If the object of keeping 


fowls is egg production the choice should ob¬ 
viously be made according to the number of 
eggs laid, just as the dairyman values his cows 
for the number of pounds of butter fat they 
produce. It is acknowledged that it is difficult, 
and in many cases impossible, to ascertain the 
number of eggs laid by individual fowls; and 
this difficulty has been the chief cause of so 
little attention being paid to selecting the best 
layers to breed from. Because of this difficulty 
it has been the common practice to select for 
hatching the well formed and desirable colored 
eggs gathered from the flock from day to day, 
and very likely the eggs selected have been laid 
by birds which have laid hardly any (and 
possibly not at all) through the fall and winter, 
in fact the birds which have been the most in¬ 
dolent layers in the fall and winter are likely 
to be the most fruitful layers at hatching time, 
hence their eggs are all the more likely to be 
the ones selected for setting; consequently eggs 
so collected at random are quite likely to con¬ 
sist largely of those laid by the poorest laying 
hens of the flock. It is quite unnecessary to 
discuss this subject at length to show that this 
kind of selection of eggs for hatching tends 
toward deterioration of laying quality,—un¬ 
doubtedly many persons follow this practice 
without fully realizing its evil tendency. 

A much better plan would be to select a few 
of the best hens, and preferably year-old hens, 
and place them in a pen by themselves, so that 
their eggs only may be used for hatching. It is 
possible for an expert poultryman to estimate 
the laying ability of the birds he selects for 
breeding by their early feathering and steady 
growth as chicks, their early maturity and early 
laying as pullets and their activity and evidence 
of strength and vigor of constitution; it is well 
known that the best layers are strong, active, 
vigorous fowls, they are known to have strong 
constitutions. 


33 




PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


If breeders are to select for vigor they cannot 
do better perhaps than to make the choice 
during the pullet period and verify the choice at 
the subsequent molting period. Strong, vigor¬ 
ous fowls pass through the molting period very 
much more quickly than do those with weak 
constitutions. The robust, vigorous hens that 
lay a large number of eggs throughout the year, 
will pass through the molting period very 
quickly and will hardly stop laying, while those 
having weak constitutions will be a long time 
in producing the new coat of feathers and will 
not lay for many weeks. The experienced 
poultryman therefore finds this period in the life 
of the fowl a most excellent one in which to 
make his selection. The fact that the birds 
with strong constitutions are the most profitable 
for egg production, suggests the explanation of 
why the fowls of poultrynlen who make a 
specialty of egg production are of larger aver¬ 
age size and are more vigorous and active than 
the fowls of those who breed chiefly for exhi¬ 
bition purposes; almost without exception the 
average size of fowls of flocks especially noted 
for egg laying, is considerably larger than the 
average size of fowls of the show-bird stock of 
that breed. 

A good sized body and a deep, broad breast 
are indicative of a strong constitution, hence 
they are the requisites of a good laying hen. 
If one is compelled to make his selection for egg 
production solely from the general conformation 
and appearance of the birds he should select 
those that have deep-long bodies. Those having 
a short underline and that are circular in out¬ 
line should be discarded. The feeding capacity 
of the hen is important, for those that are able 
to digest and assimilate large quantities of food 
are strong, vigorous, and consequently can 
produce eggs in great abundance. 

Trap Nest Selection the Best. 

The man who would do the very best in select¬ 
ing his breeding stock should have recourse to 
the trap nest device to accurately determine 
the number of eggs each individual pullet or 
hen produces; then he can select with certainty 
and use for breeding only the eggs of birds 
known to be great layers. While observation 
will aid in selecting the prolific layers, it is not 
infallible because not infrequently a most active 
and to all appearances an egg-type bird will be 
proved to be a poor layer when put to the test 
of the trap nest; with the help of this most 


valuable device we know positively which birds 
are the good layers and which are not, then we 
can be certain that we breed from the best 
layers. Not only does the trap nest tell us 
which birds are the best layers, but it tells us 
infallibly which birds lay the largest and best 
eggs and which lay the small, inferior and 
defective eggs.—There are very, very many 
advantages in the trap nest. 

An objection that has been made to it is that 
it takes time,—and so does everything in the 
world that is worth while! Those who recom¬ 
mend that we select out breeding birds by the 
aid of observation of their habits, etc., forget 
that observation also requires time; our ex¬ 
perience is that it takes quite as much extra 
time as attending to the trap nests,—and there 
is this further disadvantage, it is not accurate. 
The trap nest requires decidedly less time than 
inexperienced poultrymen think; we have to 
go into (or through) the pens four or five times 
a day, to do the regular feeding and watering 
and collecting of the eggs; it takes but a minute or 
two at time of each visit to liberate any bird 
that has laid and wants to get out of the nest, 
the egg is marked with her legband number and 
put in the collecting box. True, this takes one 
or two minutes of time, but experience proves 
that it takes no more time than should be given 
to observing the birds; one point worth mention¬ 
ing is that “observation” can be (and prob¬ 
ably will be) slighted, with the result that we 
fail to accomplish the much desired result of 
breeding from the known great layers; with the 
trap-nest record of what each hen has accom¬ 
plished we know with absolute certainty what 
we are doing, there is no “ guess work ” about it. 

In this chapter we give some testimonials 
from users of the trap nests, and have thought 
it wise to incorporate an extract from a report 
of the Rhode Island Agricultural Experiment 
Station, which contains some criticisms of trap 
nests. We should keep in mind, however, that 
the Rhode Island Experiment Station people 
had twenty different kinds of trap nests, and 
they seem to have been rather more interested 
in finding the objectionable points of those 
different kinds of trap nests than in determining 
the general merits of the trap nest idea. 

The Maine Agricultural Experiment Station 
has done the most satisfactory work with trap 
nests, and the results attained prove conclu¬ 
sively the decided advantages of breeding from 


34 


PEDIGREE BREEDING FOR EGG PRODUCTION. 



Colony Houses in the Woods, Lakewood Farm. 


known great layers. A recent bulletin of that 
station says:— 

“In 1898 trap nests were devised and placed 
in all of the breeding pens. This was done so 
that the producing capacities of hens could be 
known, and selections for breeding could be 
made upon merit alone. 

“It is known that the laws of inheritance and 
transmission are as true with birds as with 
cattle, sheep and horses, and when we consider 
the wonderful advance in egg production that 
the hen has made during her domestication, 
there is ample reason for assuming that a higher 
average production than the present can be 
secured by breeding only to those birds that 
are themselves large producers. It has been 
found in our practice with the trap nest, that 
with the most careful selection we could make 
when estimating the capacities for egg yielding, 
by the types and forms of birds, that we were 
still including in our breeding pens hens that 
were small workers.” 

Of the results of that trap nest work the 
bulletin says:— 

“Of the four that laid over 200 eggs during 
the first 12 months after commencing, No. 4 
laid 201 eggs the first year, 140 the second and 
130 the third year, and she is now on her fourth 
year’s work. No. 14 laid 208 eggs the first year, 
141 the second year and 28 the third year. She 
molted in July, 1900, and met with an accident 
in August which came very near ending her exist¬ 
ence, but her great vitality enabled her to rally 
and she shed her feathers again, completely, 


and grew a second suit that season. She did not 
begin laying again until the following March 
when she laid 28 eggs by the close of May. At 
molting time in June she died. She was an 
upheaded, strong hen, and the first one to give 
us over 200 eggs in one year. No. 101 laid 201 
large brown eggs the first year; 30 the second 
year and 63 the third year. She is now on her 
fourth year’s work. No. 266 was a late hatched 
pullet and did not commence laying until 
February 12, 1899. In a year forward from 
that date she laid 206 eggs. In the first year, 
commencing November 1, 1899, she laid 191 
eggs, with 157 during the second, and 138 in 
her third year. When three and a half years 
old she died suddenly, having laid 119 eggs 
during the last 160 days she lived. 

“ With many poultry keepers and farmers the 
idea is prevalent that if a hen lay but few eggs 
the first year she is likely to do better the second 
year than though she laid well during the first 
year. The data so far secured does not show 
that hens that laid 120 eggs or less the first year 
yield satisfactorily the second year. Those 
that yielded in the vicinity of a hundred or less 
the first year yielded very light the second 
year. On the other hand many of those that 
yielded from 130 to 200 or over during the first 
year laid cpiite well the second year.” * * * 

“During the three years in which we have 
been selecting breeding stock by use of the trap 
nests we have found 30 hens that laid between 
200 and 251 eggs each in a year. Twenty-six 
of them are now in our breeding pens and con- 


35 





























PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


stitute—until other additions are made—the 
“foundation stock” upon which our breeding 
operations are based. Males for our use have 
been raised from them during the last two 
years. The number of the foundation stock, 
now secured, makes practicable the avoidance 
of inbreeding, and this is to be strictly guarded 
against, as it is doubtful if the inbred hen has 
sufficient constitution to enable her to stand 
the demands of heavy egg production. 

“All of the other breeding stock we are now 
carrying are tested hens that have laid over 180 
eggs in a year; pullets whose mothers laid over 
200 eggs in one year and whose fathers’ mothers 
laid over 200 eggs in a year; and pullets sired 
by cockerels whose mothers and grandmothers 
laid over 200 eggs in one year.” 

Such results, attained in the comparatively 
brief time of five years, are eloquent of what 
can be done by continued intelligent work along 
this line. That breeding from hens that “ have 
laid over 180 eggs in one year; pullets whose 
mothers laid over 200 eggs in one year and whose 
fathers’ mothers laid over 200 eggs in one year; 
and pullets sired by cockerels whose mothers 
and grandmothers laid over 200 eggs in one 
year”—is tremendously suggestive! What an 
accumulated momentum of prolific laying, as 
well as absolute certainty as to the record of 
mothers and grandmothers; that absolute cer¬ 
tainty as to laying record we can attain to only 
byj:he intelligent use of trap nests. 

WHAT MR. EDGAR WARREN SAYS. 

A Nest Box for Individual Records. 

Within the past few years the poultry business 
has been almost revolutionized by the intro¬ 
duction of a nest box for individual records. 
It is a fact w r ell known to all breeders of ani¬ 
mals, that desirable traits may be transmitted, 
and by careful matings a strain may be perma¬ 
nently established. Among cows some breeds 
are noted for the production of butter, others 
for milk and others for beef. Among hens 
there are some breeds that excel as egg pro¬ 
ducers, and in all breeds there are strains that 
lay better than others. It is obvious that if we 
are to build up a great egg-producing strain we 
must breed from great layers. 

How may these great layers be picked out? 
There are two ways. One is by the testing pen; 
the other, by a trap nest box. The former 
makes the pen the unit, the latter the individual 
bird. The former is the way I myself proceed. 


My laying pens are made up of birds that have 
been thoroughly tested in solitary confinement, 
as described in a preceding section. If every 
bird in the pen is a layer, and the average of the 
pen in egg production is satisfactory, I do not 
hesitate to breed from that pen. This is a 
great labor saving method. The birds do not 
require the constant attention that is demanded 
where individual records are kept. Each bird 
is tested at the beginning of the season, and 
marked with a leg-band if she meets the test. 
Otherwise she is put in the pen for culls or dis¬ 
patched. 

“200 Eggs a Year per Hex.” 

BETTER LAYERS AND MORE OF THEM. 

Breeding Systematically for Increased Egg 

Production is the Only Method of Develop¬ 
ing a Strain of Prolific Layers— 

Trap Nests a Necessary Means 
to This End. 

BY C. BRICAULT, M. D. V., ANDOVER, MASS. 

It is an acknowledged fact that the surest and 
inost profitable source of income for the majority 
of poultrvmen is the sale of eggs to the daily 
market. How to obtain the largest possible 
egg yield from our stock becomes, then, a most 
important question to those of us who are inter¬ 
ested in this, the most profitable branch of the 
business. 

By properly feeding our hens, we can-obtain 
results which a less careful poultryman will not, 
but no matter how well we understand this 
difficult part of the work, and no matter how 
careful we are in making use of our knowledge 
in this direction, it will be observed that in every 
flock of pullets raised, fed and cared for in the 
same manner and under the same conditions, 
that several will lay almost double the number 
of eggs that others will in the same pen. With 
but few exceptions, these large egg producers 
were born with this valuable trait, and it is by 
breeding from these heavy layers that we can 
increase the average egg yield of our flock. 
Breeding systematically and persistently from 
our heaviest layers will develop a strain of 
layers which will pay us generously for our 
work. No other method will give us as good 
results. 

Trap Nests Necessary. 

In order to follow this system of breeding it 
will be found of absolute necessity to ascertain 


36 



PEDIGREE BREEDING FOR EGG PRODUCTION. 


the number of eggs each hen lays. Fortunately 
we have at our disposition the automatic nest 
which will help us to accomplish this accurately. 
This valuable addition to the practical poultry- 
man’s needs has been severely criticised bv 
some, but its advantages cannot be overlooked 
and no real progress can be made without its 
use. By placing these trap nests in the pens 
it will be an easy matter to distinguish the best 
layers from the poorest. The members of the 
flock that do not lay enough eggs to pay a profit 
should be disposed of to the butcher. 

You can overcome the greatest drawback to 
trap nests by putting in the pens half as many 
nests as there are layers and placing them on a 
platform twenty inches above the floor. By 
this arrangement the work is reduced to a mini¬ 
mum and the hens have the advantage of using 
the whole floor space. By this plan you can 
gather the eggs with more ease and at a saving 
of fifty per cent, in time, as compared with nests 
that are under the drop boards. With this 
number of nests in the pens there will be no 
need of visiting them oftener than four times 
a day. 

If you use trap nests like the Ideal, which is 
easy of operation and well ventilated, you need 
not worry should your hens be confined in them 
a short time. It will not harm them a particle; 
neither will it induce them to become broody 
any sooner. Certain ones who condemn the use 
of trap nests because the}' would have us believe 
it is cruelty to so confine a hen, do not hesitate 
to keep fowls for days at a time in a show room, 
which really is the kind of confinement that is 
detrimental to their health. 

Keeping the Records. 

When your pens are equipped as advised 
above, the next thing to do is to place a leg band 
around one leg of each hen. These leg bands 
can be stamped with a number, letter, or both, 
then you are ready to begin record keeping. As 
you go the rounds of the nests, you release the 
hens confined in them, note their numbers on the 
leg bands, and mark each egg, or enter it at 
once on record sheets kept for the purpose. 
You may find some customers who object to 
having anything written on the eggs they buy; 
many grocers and merchants object to this. 
The only remedy is to enter the numbers on the 
egg record sheet, or on a small slate carried 
around by the attendant, and, later, enter them 
on the egg record sheets. If the eggs are wanted 



Cyphers Pedigree Trap Nest. 

for hatching, it will then become necessary to 
mark each egg. 

There is no need of complicated record keeping. 
The record sheets on which are written the 
number of each hen, and the dates on which she 
lavs, checked off. and a small book are all that 
are required. Every page of this book is ruled 
off in three sections, and in each of these is en¬ 
tered the number of one hen, her record, her 
dam’s record, and her sire’s dam’s record; 
also the number of each chick hatched from her 
eggs. When a chick dies, the letter D is written 
across its number. When we are ready to begin 
hatching each hen’s eggs are incubated separate¬ 
ly under a hen or placed in a compartment of a 
pedigree tray in the incubator. When the chicks 
are hatched, each one is marked by placing 
around one of its legs a small leg band. As they 
grow older these bands are changed for larger 
ones. 

Mating for Egg Production. 

One of the most important points in mating 
your pen for egg production, is the selection 
of the male birds, for we lean to the belief 
that it is through her sons that a great layer 
transmits her qualities. Use none but well 
developed, vigorous sons of your very best 
layer. Another equally important thing in 
selecting your breeders, is vigor. Choose only 
the most vigorous hens and cockerels. Vigor 
is the outward sign of a strong constitution, 
and a good layer must be strong and vigorous 
to enable her to digest and assimilate the food 
necessary to lay a large number of eggs. By 




37 













PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 



The Maine Experiment Station Nest Boxes in Position. 


thus selecting each year the most vigorous 
descendants of your best layers, you will in¬ 
tensify both these qualities in your strain and 
produce layers that will lay more eggs than 
their ancestors did. 

When you have arrived at this period of your 
breeding operations, that* is, when, by a few 
years of this systematic breeding you have 
fixed vigor and a good egg record in your 
strain, you can profitably practice some in- 
breeding. By inbreeding you can improve your 
egg yield quicker than by selection. But be 
very careful to select only the most vigorous 
and healthiest individuals from your few best 
layers. 

We will suppose you have just such a hen with 
a large egg record. You can mate her to her 
most vigorous and best developed son, and in 
this same pen you may also put the hens which 
have given you the largest number of eggs. 
The following year you can mate one of these 
inbred cockerels to the pullets bred by the first 
cockerel, but out of the other hens—they will 
be half sisters. Of course, you will always pick 
out your highest record hens to mate to these 
choice breeders. 

You will be pleased with egg records of the 
pullets bred from this last mating. The major¬ 


ity will be excellent layers, and will be the very 
best of breeders. If you have been careful to 
select only vigorous birds and the best layers in 
your matings, you will notice very soon a great 
improvement in the average egg yield. You 
can then use these inbred cockerels on unre¬ 
lated hens, but only on the good layers, and 
then follow up as before. 

Great productiveness in our hens is a trait 
which can be easily fixed by breeding. The 
principles governing our breeding are the same 
as those which apply to all other classes of 
animal breeding; it is only the application that 
differs. With the fancier it is feathers, with 
us it is eggs; both can be developed to perfection 
by the same principles of breeding. There is 
nothing to prevent you, if you so desire, from 
improving both the egg yield and exhibition 
points of your strain, but the progress will be 
much slower. The results, however, will be 
more pleasing in the end. To us this question 
of breeding layers is a most fascinating one, and 
it is one which offers more real advantages to 
the interested poultryman than would be be¬ 
lieved at first. Breeding from our best layers 
systematically is, to our way of thinking, the 
only sure way of increasing the profits.— Reli¬ 
able Poultry Journal. 

A Nest Box for Keeping Individual Egg Records* 

[Reprintecrfrom the 13th Annual Report of the Maine Agricul- 
tural Experiment Station.] 

Desiring to conduct experiments in breeding 
hens we found it necessary, first, to be able to 
determine the-eggs produced by each individual. 
Several appliances and patented devices were 
examined, but all seemed open to the objection 
that while they might indicate to an extent the 
producer of the egg, the lack of certainty would 
be so great as to render them of little value for 
our purpose. We constructed a nest that proved 
so satisfactory that we placed fifty-two of them 
in the breeding-house, where they have been 
in use several months. They enable us to 
know the eggs produced by each bird with 
certainty. The boxes are placed four in a bank, 
and slide in and out like drawers, and can be 
carried away for cleaning if necessary. If 
desired they could be put on the floor or shelf 
by simply having a cover to each box. 

Our breeding pens are ten by sixteen feet in 
size, and there are twenty hens and a cockerel 
in each one. Four nests in each pen have ac¬ 
commodated the birds by the attendant going 
through the pens once an hour during that part 


38 























PEDIGREE BREEDING FOR EGG PRODUCTION. 


of the day when the birds were busiest. Earlier 
and later in the day his visits have not been so 
frequent. More nests in the pen would reduce 
the frequency of his visits. To remove a hen 
the nest is pulled part way out, and as it has no 
cover she is readily lifted up and the number 
on her leg band noted on the record sheet that 
hangs at hand. After having been taken off 
a few times they do not object to being handled, 
the most of them remaining quiet, apparently 
expecting to be picked up. 

The nest box is very simple, inexpensive, 
easy to attend and certain in its action. It is 
a box-like structure, without front end or 
cover. It is 28 inches long, 13 inches wide and 
13 inches deep—inside measurements. A divi¬ 
sion board with a circular opening lb inches in 
diameter is placed across the box 12 inches 
from the back end and 15 inches from 
the front end. The back section is the nest 
proper. Instead of a close door at the entrance, 
a light frame of inch by inch and a half stuff is 
covered with wire netting of one inch mesh. 
The door is ten and one-half inches wide and 
ten inches high, and does not fill the entire 
entrance, a space of two and a half inches being 
left at the bottom and one and a half inches at 
the top, with a good margin at each side to 
avoid friction. If it filled the entire space it 
would be clumsy in its action. It is hinged at 
the top and opens up into the box. The hinges 
are placed on the front of the door rather than 
at the center or back, the better to secure com¬ 
plete closing action. 

The trip consists of one piece of stiff wire 
about three-sixteenths of an inch in diameter 
and eighteen and one-half inches long, bent as 
shown in the drawing. A piece of board six 
inches wide and just long enough to reach 
across the box inside, is nailed flatwise in front 
of the partition and one inch below the top of 
the box, a space of one-fourth of an inch being 
left between the edge of the board and the 
partition. The purpose of this board is only 
to support the trip wire in 
place. The six-inch sec¬ 
tion of the trip wire is 
placed across the board, 
the long part of the wire 
is slipped through the quar¬ 
ter inch slot, and passed 
down close to and in front 
of the center of the seven 
and a half inch circular 


A -IT 




St 





Single Nest Removed. 

opening. Small wire staples are driven nearly 
down over the six-inch section of the trip 
wire into the board, so as to hold it in place 
and yet let it roll sidewise easily. 

4 When the door is set, the half-inch section 
of the wire marked A comes under a hard wood 
peg, or a tack with a large round head, which 
is driven into the lower edge of the door frame. 
The hen passes in through the circular opening 
and in doing so presses the wire to one side, 
and the trip slips from its connection with the 
door. The door promptly swings down and 
fastens itself in place by its lower edge striking 
the light end of a wooden latch or lever, pres¬ 
sing it down and slipping over it, the lever 
immediately coming back into place and lock¬ 
ing the door. The latch is five inches long, one 
inch wide and a half inch thick, and is fastened 
loosely one inch from its center to the side of 
the box, so that the outer end is just inside of 
the door when it is closed. The latch acts 
quickly enough to catch the door before it 
rebounds. It was feared that the noise arising 
from the closing of the door might startle the 
hens, so instead of wooden stops, pieces of old 
rubber belting were nailed at the outside en¬ 
trances for the door to strike against. 

The double box with nest in the rear end 
is necessary, as when a bird has laid and desires 
to leave the nest, she steps to the front and 
remains there until released. With one section 
only she would be very likely to crush her 
egg by standing upon it. 

One experiment which has been undertaken, 
and which requires a long period of time in 


39 











PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


preparation, is the attempt to establish families 
of hens that shall excel as egg producers. To 
do this reliance upon the laws of inheritance 
and transmission must be coupled with selec¬ 
tion. Selection will depend upon the actual 
production of the birds taken for foundation 
stock. From offspring of the foundation stock 
will be selected—by use of the nest boxes— 
the greatest yielders of desirable eggs. 

The male birds will be bred from dams of 
known capacity and quality. Only by use of 
nest boxes and leg bands can we expect to 
control the work. Two hundred and sixty 
females, from three distinct breeds, are under¬ 
going test for the foundation stock. One 
year’s time will be required in the selection. 
From among them it is hoped may be found a 
few birds that are suited for the founding of 
the families. The breeds employed are Barred 
Plymouth Rock, White Wyandotte and Light- 
Weight Light Brahma. 


TRAP NESTS. 

An Experiment to Test the Practicability and 

Comparative Efficiency of Various Con¬ 
trivances for Ascertaining the Egg- 
Laying Records of Fowls. 

The trap nest has been used to a limited 
extent for at least thirty years, but it is only 
within the last three years that it has come into 
general notice through the claims of several 
inventors of devices to determine the number 
of eggs laid by individual hens. 

Some of the objects^ have been to save the 
eggs o{ individuals from special mating pens, 
to select the best layers, to detect the non¬ 
laying fowls and those that lay but few eggs, 
and to ascertain the characteristics of the 
eggs from certain fowls. 

The trap nest is certainly valuable, especially 
in line breeding, to the fancier having a limited 
number of choice fowls from which he wishes 
to establish a pedigree strain. It is also of use 
to the experimenter in breeding when he wants 
to determine the results of certain crosses or 
matings. 

It is a favorite device with a man who has 
a desire to build up a strain of phenomenal 
layers, even if by so doing he weakens the 
stock. Others are using the nests to substan¬ 
tiate their claims for the wonderful egg-pro¬ 
ducing qualities of their hens by advertising 
their actual laying records. 


Trap nests may be divided into two classes, 
single and double compartment nests. The 
latter named may work well, but their use is 
rarely advisable. They are hard to clean, and, 
being bulky, take up valuable space. The 
claim for the double compartment nest is that 
it allows the hen to leave the nesting space after 
laying, thus preventing her breaking or soiling 
the egg by trying to get out. The hen should 
not, however, be confined in so small a space 
for so long a time that she worries, or her laying 
may be impaired. She should be released as 
soon after laying as possible, which is as easily 
done from a single as from a double compart¬ 
ment nest. The single compartment nests are 
generally preferable. They are simpler, more 
easily cleaned, and require no more room than 
an ordinary nest. 

A trap nest should ordinarily be no larger 
than a common nest, and easily cleaned. It 
should be simple in construction, and so well 
made that it will not get out of order. It 
should hold but one hen at a time, and after 
she is in should prevent her exit or the entrance 
of others until the first hen is released and the 
trap set again. It should also be attractive to 
the hens, or they will lay outside rather than 
enter the nest. It should be adaptable to all 
classes and sizes of fowls. Not a single nest 
met all of the requirements as above stated, 
though a few have proved to be far superior 
to others. The openings in some have been so 
large that two hens have been known to enter 
at one time. Others failed to hold the hen or 
admitted other hens because not provided with 
a latch to the door, or when so provided it 
failed to work. Defective operation of others 
was due to their flimsy construction, and to the 
fact that the nesting material often interfered 
with their mechanism. This interference from 
the nesting material was so great in some in¬ 
stances that it was necessary to readjust the 
nest nearly every day. 

With a few exceptions the devices were more 
adaptable to the American and Asiatic than 
to the Mediterranean breeds, as the former are 
more quiet and easier to handle than the latter. 
A few interesting facts were brought out by 
the use of the trap nests regarding the pecul¬ 
iarities of certain hens, among them that a 
number laid two eggs a day at times. The 
average, however, was never more than one 
egg a day, as, after laying twice in one day, the 
hen would very likely miss the next day or the 


40 



PEDIGREE BREEDING FOR EGG PRODUCTION. 



The Incubator Cellar, Lakewood Farm. 


day following. Sometimes the male bird de¬ 
veloped the trick of catching himself in the nest, 
for no apparent reason but his own enjoyment. 

Although it is possible by the use of trap 
nests to determine the number of eggs laid by 
the individual hens, the impracticability of 
their use on a large scale is evident since the 
expense of attending them overbalances, in a 
business sense, the results obtained. In all the 
tests here reported it was found necessary to 
look at the nests during the busy laying season 
at least five times per day, and if a hen had 
laid each time it took considerable more than 
“ one minute a day ” claimed by more than one 
of the inventors, to release the hen and credit 
the egg to her account. 

In looking after twenty pens of about five 
hens each it took on the average of fifteen 
minutes each time, or one and one-fourth 
hours per day. A person keeping about five 
hundred fowls would therefore use about six 
hours a day determining how many eggs each 
hen was laying. This time could often be used 
to better advantage in giving the hens better 
care and in looking after other details. 

We fail to see how any of the devices could 
prevent egg-eating, as was claimed for some of 
them. In all the nests the hen had access to 
the egg after it was laid, and in one or two in¬ 
stances a hen was known to eat the egg. 

To sum up, let us say, except in the cases 
mentioned in the beginning of this report, we 
fail to see that trap nests are of the practical 
value that the several inventors claim for them, 
to say nothing of the prices asked for their 


ideas or the finished article. What will please 
one is likely to prove unsatisfactory to another. 
The poultryman wishing to use trap nests will 
do well to consult with persons already using 
them, and .construct his own to suit his purpose; 
for any one with ingenuity can construct a 
trap nest as good and better than many we 
have seen .—Annual Report , Rhode Island Ag- 
ricultural Experiment Station , 1901. 

Lay Two Hundred Eggs. 

Can we produce hens that will lay two hun¬ 
dred eggs per annum? Without a doubt. How? 
By scientific breeding, as for a good butter 
cow or a great milker; as for a good trotting or 
high jumping horse. Experiments have been 
made to increase the number of rows of corn 
on the cob with success. The same method is 
applicable to poultry breeding. We will start 
with a hen that lays one hundred and twenty 
eggs. Some of her chicks will lay one hundred 
and fifty per year. From these we will pick 
out layers, and so on until two hundred or 
better are the result. At the same time it is 
just as essential to breed our males from pro¬ 
lific layers as it is the females. In fact it is 
more so. If we look after the breeding of the 
females only, we will introduce on the male 
side blood which is lacking in proficiency, and 
thus check every attempt in progress. It is 
just as essential that the male should be from 
a hen which laid one hundred and seventy-five 
eggs and from a male that was bred from a hen 
that laid one hundred and fifty eggs as it is 
that the hen was from one that laid one hun- 


41 



















PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


dred and seventy-five eggs and whose mother 
laid one hundred and fifty eggs. 

—Poultry Herald. 

Larger Production. 

The man who most steadily increases the pro¬ 
ducing power of his flocks is he who selects his 
eggs from a very few of his best layers. The 
sharper the selection, the more rapid and certain 
the increase. It is an approach to systematic, 
consecutive breeding, and no other policy is to 
be endorsed. Even now is not too late to gather 
up a few sittings and grow some fine layers. 
Larger production is what every egg man is cry¬ 
ing for, and it is possible by simply selecting the 
breeders and using eggs from only the best. If 
you are satisfied with one hundred eggs per 
head, there is nothing more to be said; but if 
you want one hundred and fifty, then select 
with sole reference to egg producing power and 
breed for a larger business. 

—Maine Farmer. 


PEDIGREE BREEDING FOR EGG PRO¬ 
DUCTION. 

The Greatest Egg Producer is the Fowl that has 
been Bred for the Sole Purpose of 
Producing Eggs. 

From a lecture read at the annual meeting of the Ontario Poul¬ 
try Association, at London, Ontario, January, 1898. 

The greatest egg producer is the bird that has 
been bred for the sole purpose of producing eggs. 
This bird will not necessarily be a Leghorn or a 
Minorca, although these breeds deservedly have 
the reputation ,of being the greatest egg pro¬ 
ducers living—-that is, as a class. Without doubt 
there is a greater proportion of eggs laid by these 
two breeds than by any other two breeds that can 
be named; yet there are many individual birds 
of other breeds that may equal or even surpass 
them. If such should be the case, it will be 
found that these individual birds have been bred 
with one object in view, namely; egg produc¬ 
tion. Just as the fancier raises birds for ex¬ 
hibition, so may the farmer breed birds for lay¬ 
ing purposes. Undoubtedly the proper course 
to pursue would be to choose your prospective 
layers from a class already noted for their laying 
proclivities, but do not imagine you have the 
best layers on earth simply because the breed 
selected has that reputation. Every descendent 
of Hambletonian does not trot within 2.30, but 
nobody denies that many a trotter with no breed¬ 
ing has come well within that mark, and has, in 


addition, been the foundation of a line of fast 
ones. Similarly with regard to hens. Many 
Minorcas and many Leghorns have proved un¬ 
satisfactory layers, while many a Brahma and 
many a Plymouth Rock has abundantly helped 
to fill the egg basket. 

As I have said, if you are commencing, select 
your birds from the classes bearing reputations 
as layers, but do not be discouraged because it 
is not, convenient to do this. Commence right 
now with the stock in hand and note the best 
layers among your birds. Commence line-breed¬ 
ing with as great regard to mating as you would 
if breeding for show purposes. Mark the pullet 
that is the first to lay, mark the most persistent 
layer; mark the hen that molts quickly and 
gets down to business before the hard winter 
sets in, and when you have done marking, the 
spring will be here and you may commence 
mating. Better to breed from two or three 
well-known layers than to take chances and 
make up a pen containing a dozen indifferent 
ones. As the cock does not lay you can not 
judge whether he is likely to produce good 
layers; but you can choose the largest and most 
vigorous bird of the flock to mate with your 
selected females. After that it is easy. Never 
allow anybody to induce you to change the 
blood of your flock by the introduction of a 
male bird of another strain, unless you are satis¬ 
fied he comes from a strain which equals your 
own as layers. Remember the sire controls 
one-half the blood of the produce, and if you de¬ 
sire to introduce new blood or new stamina into 
your flock, do so by means of the best laying 
female you can procure. Even then I would 
not use her sons as sires, but would dispose of 
them and mate her daughters back to the old 
male bird; the produce from this mating would 
have in their veins three-quarters of the blood 
of your own strain, with sufficient new blood 
to maintain the vigor of the flock. Do not 
over-look the necessity for observation each 
year, so as to intelligently mate your birds the 
next season, continually choosing the best 
layers and limiting your breeding pen to these. 
The result will be that no matter what breed you 
start with, you will eventually own layers far 
ahead of any that have been indiscriminately 
bred. The same advice applies to production 
of large eggs. I have had Minorcas which have 
laid large eggs, and Minorcas which have laid 
small eggs; Brahmas, layers of large eggs, and 
Brahmas, layers of small. During recent years 


42 



PEDIGREE BREEDING FOR EGG PRODUCTION. 


in breeding Buff Plymouth Rocks I have found 
that some hens lay small eggs, others large; and 
as I have carried out the system of pedigree 
breeding, I have noticed the fact that layers of 
large eggs transmit this attribute to their pro¬ 
geny, and layers of small eggs have produced 
birds which have also laid small eggs. It rests 
altogether with the particular strain of birds, 
ana not with the breed, as to which will give 
the best return, either in size or number of 
eggs laid. 

Thoroughbreds have time and again demon¬ 
strated their ability to hold the lead in egg pro¬ 
duction, and all that is necessary for the be¬ 
ginner in egg farming is to inquire of a reliable 
breeder whether or not his strain of birds possess 
that qualification. Then go ahead and do your 
own breeding. 

There is a material difference between 150 
eggs a year, which is a fair average, and 289, 
which is I believe the record of a pen of fowls 
which have been entered for competition in an 
egg-producing contest. It shows what can be 
done by pedigree breeding and judicious feed¬ 
ing, and constitutes the difference between profit 
and loss. 

If you keep many varieties you cannot give 
the necessary time to each one. Since I limited 
myself to breeding Buff Plymouth Rocks, I have 
won more prizes and obtained more satisfaction 
than I did on all the others combined. In ad¬ 
dition to which there is the pleasure of noting 
results of experiments in mating from year to 
year. 

There has been so much information given as 
to raising, housing and feeding, that anybody 
who reads should have no difficulty in these re¬ 
spects, if the directions are faithfully followed. 
Each breeder may have different methods, but 
analyzed they will be found to agree in the 
main. One feeds cut green bone every day, 
another every second day, but the amounts fed 
also differ, and the result is much the same. One 
feeds soft food for breakfast, another for dinner ; 
even this is regulated by the habits of the poul- 
tryman. The man who feeds early in the morn¬ 
ing may, with good results, feed grain as a break¬ 
fast, while the one who feeds late will do better 
by giving the soft food first. The hens become 
habituated to certain methods, and will do fairly 
well under any, so long as they are not radical. 
Still, the man who gets up early and feeds his 
fowls regularly, will get the best returns, and he 
deserves them. 


Give little soft food, a small but regular sup¬ 
ply of meat, or ground green bone, and a variety 
of grain, not forgetting the green food in winter, 
and the principal requirements for egg produc¬ 
tion have been performed. The next important 
requisite is work. Feed the grain in litter, cover 
it well and make the hens work to find it. Do 
not be governed by false kindness, and throw 
down the food in heaps, but cover every grain. 

Be careful as to scaring the birds. Strange 
dogs, cats or even your next door neighbor 
going among the hens when in confinement, will 
effect the layers detrimentally. A change of 
pens, removing a hen from one pen to another, 
will cause a cessation of laying for a time. Change 
the position of your nests, and it has the same 
effect. Introduce a strange male bird, and you 
will notice the reduced number of eggs. Any 
change, every change, should be guarded against. 

Give plenty of room and plenty of sunshine 
to the workers, and never reduce the scratching 
space to less than six or eight square feet per 
hen. Even this amount is small, and when con¬ 
fined to such a space it is necessary to limit the 
number of fowls in a pen to ten or a dozen. The 
most important requirement has not been men¬ 
tioned, that is the water. Watch the hen come 
off the nest after laying and see her make for 
the water, and you will understand the necessity 
for pure water and lots of it. 

In the winter, if your house is dry, the fowls 
will keep themselves warm during the day if 
you feed little and often, and make them work. 
At night care must be exercised to see that they 
have a warm corner for a roosting place. 

Hatch your chicks as early as possible, but cer¬ 
tainly not later than May, and if properly cared 
for you will have winter layers, and receive all 
the way from 25 to 40 cents a dozen for your 
eggs. If you allow the hen to have her own 
sweet will ,she will probably incubate in June, July 
and August and you will have lots of worry, lots 
of squabs, and any amount of expense feeding, 
during winter, chicks that bring you no return. 

— R. H. Essex. 

Breeding for Eggs. 

I receive many letters asking advice as to 
feeding in order to increase egg production. It 
is impossible for one even to give suggestions, in 
my opinion, without a detailed knowledge as to 
breed and surrounding conditions; but after all 
through food we can induce the fowl to lay 
only the limit of her capacity. 


43 


PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


A fowl does not manufacture eggs; if she did 
not have them supplied to her by nature she 
could not produce them herself. Nature is more 
generous with some fowls than with others, and 
if we would increase egg production we must 
find such fowls and breed from those to which 
nature has been the kindest; so we can but do 
our best with the fowls in hand, to feed them for 
health, and our success or want of success will 
be demonstrated by their laying and holding 
their weight. 

Who would expect to breed large sized fowls 
from small-sized parent stock? Just so in in¬ 
creasing egg production. If we would attain 
and hold increased egg production, it is as im¬ 
portant to breed it in the blood, and fix it there, 
as it is to attain any of the other numerous aims 
of modern breeders. 

It is almost needless to say that healthy, vigor¬ 
ous parent stock must be our foundation; and 
our aim must be to keep the parent stock healthy 
and vigorous through proper feeding and care; 
and the best food with the best care will be in 
vain if that ever present enemy of poultry breed¬ 
ers is not constantly kept at bay— lice. 

The warning to fight lice has been repeated 
again and again by our poultry writers, and yet 
I venture to say most breeders smile compla¬ 
cently to themselves and think “No lice here. ” 

Only recently one of the editors of Farm-Poul¬ 
try paid me a visit at Hartnest, and asked “ How 
are you fixed with lice? ” My laconic reply, 
born of self assurance, was, “ Ain’t fixed at all. 
We breed Brahmas, not lice. ” “ Well, let’s 

see, ” said the editor, and I asked him to select 
a specimen that looked the lousiest if one such 
could be found. He made a selection, scru¬ 
tinized the head, throat, back, breast and fluff— 
no lice; then he looked under the vent and found 
two or three; then “ I thought it about time my 
hens needed dusting again. ” 

“ Let’s try some more, ” said the editor, with 
about the same result. “ Now, let’s see your old 
hens. ’ ’ We looked at them, but this time, under 
the vent first, and there I found them swarming 
—actually swarming. I was amazed, and when 
I looked at the leg bands of such as were the 
worst, I fancied I had an explanation of their 
recent small egg record. 

Now, I had been told and had read time and 
again, to quarantine all new birds. The head of 
that pen was a bird I purchased a month or two 
ago, and after giving him a good dusting was 
satisfied that all was well; but doubtless in dust¬ 


ing we did not get through the thick, fluffy 
feathers under the vent, consequently the lice 
which were close to or under his skin escaped us, 
and so they spread from him to all the hens in 
that pen. In another pen where we found lice 
were one or two hens that I purchased about the 
same time. My hens were practically clear of 
lice all over the body, except under the vent, 
and there they more than made up for their 
absence elsewhere. Had I taken the ordinary 
precautions so often repeated. I probably would 
have been a hundred eggs better off now. 

To the breeder whose sole aim is increased egg 
production, the path is comparatively easy. It 
is important that he know exactly what each of 
his breeders do. In order to avoid loss of time 
he should begin by breeding from all of his birds, 
making such provision for identifying the prog¬ 
eny of each breeder as his convenience may dic¬ 
tate. That some mode of identification be care¬ 
fully and regularly followed is of vital import¬ 
ance. 

At the end of the season he should select from 
his birds such as have excelled in the work in the 
nest, and to begin “ fixing the laying habit ” by 
selecting the best son of such breeders and mat¬ 
ing him back to his dam. Mate the pullets to a 
son of his heaviest layer, being careful to avoid 
the mating of brother and sister. 

It must be remembered that the daughters of 
these heavy layers will not all inherit their dam’s 
prolificacy, unless one is fortunate enough at the 
start to have at the head of his pen the son of a 
heavy layer; and the drone blood will have to be 
bred out before uniformity can be depended 
upon. 

Again, the varying individuality of fowls— 
(until a strain is established)—necessarily pro¬ 
duces in each flock some which are prone to 
take on fat, and others which are prone to “ go 
light, ” neither of which should be bred from, or 
neither of which should have their progeny per¬ 
petuated. 

It is not always possible to recognize either of 
these peculiarities before the hatching season is 
well under way, consequently I have advised as 
above, that the eggs from all breeders be set, and 
only those chicks retained for the next season 
whose dams have shown the desirable traits. 

As stated, a single object is easier to attain 
than several aims. For instance, if early ma¬ 
turity and prolific laying is required, we must 
very naturally have an eye to both; if the 
breeder (in the system of identifying chicks 


44 


PEDIGREE BREEDING FOR EGG PRODUCTION. 


which he adopts), includes also a mode of identi¬ 
fication whereby he can not only tell the parent 
stock, but also the elate of hatch of each chick, 
early maturity can be had as easily as prolific 
laying; combining the two makes it of course a 
little slower of accomplishment. 

It does not always follow that because a pul¬ 
let matures slowly, she will not make a prolific 
layer; but most of us have no use for a slow rna- 
turing bird. 

If in addition to early maturity and prolific 
laying, a breeder also desires large size in eggs, 
two methods present themselves, either of which 
may be adopted. One may either abstain from 
setting eggs that are under a certain size which he 
may fix in his mind, or he may take the progeny 
of a hen laying the largest number of heavy 
eggs, and mate them to the progeny of the 
heaviest layer. Discarding the eggs that come 
under the limit is of course the quickest way of 
obtaining all large eggs, but one is apt to lose in 
this way the use of some of his heaviest layers. 

I don’t mean by this that the heaviest layers 
lay the smallest eggs. My experience has shown 
that size of eggs has no bearing whatever upon 
prolific laying. Xo. 61 for instance lays an egg 
that averages very close to two and a quarter 
ounces. 

If one desires in addition to heavy laying, 
early maturity and large size of eggs, to breed 
to a certain color of egg, he again adds to the 
time it will require to accomplish his four-fold 
aim. 

We occasionally read that prolific laying and 
the breeding of show specimens cannot be com¬ 
bined. I am quite confident that those who 
make this assertion have not made the proper 
effort. 

In preparing birds for the show room, one of 
the requirements would be that they be checked 
from laying eggs, so that they may appear in 
their best dress. The only harm here done is 
that the individual record of that bird is slightly 
reduced. If she is a prolific layer and mated to 
the son of a prolific layer, her daughters will not 
suffer from this reduction. 

My experience has been that just as soon as 
the birds are permitted to lav, in fact the second 
or third day of the show, they start in and keep 
everlastingly at it; even the journey home does 
not stop them. 

True, I have not yet evolved a flock of world 
beaters, either in the show room or in the nest; 
I did manage to get third at the late New York 


show, with June hatched pullets, two of them 
daughters of my second heaviest layer. Per¬ 
haps, this is but a straw but it shows the “ way 
the wind blows.” It shows that utility and 
beauty can be combined if we go about it right. 

Mliere one’s aim in breeding is a single pur¬ 
pose, I repeat it is comparatively easy of attain¬ 
ment; far easier than where the object includes 
a multiple of aims. 

A. J. Silberstein in Farm Poultry. 

A Study of Profits. 

We present herewith some tables of egg yield 
and profits of different flocks under different 
conditions, the purpose being to get a basis for 
comparison of profits. We have long preached 
that the creamy profits are from the eggs layed 
in November, December and January, and that 
the sure method of getting those November, 
December and January eggs was to keep early 
hatched pullets, kept steadily growing until they 
reached laying maturity, and then kept laying 
by good care’’ and good food We believe that 
such early hatched pullets, got to laying by 
October and kept laying, will produce from one 
hundred and seventy-five to two hundred eggs 
apiece within a year of reaching laying maturity, 
and that the best profit is got by selling them off 
to market after about one year of laying,—that 
is, just before the next generation of early lay¬ 
ing pullets are brought into the houses to succeed 
to the work. We have also preached and fully 
believe that, generally speaking, the keeping of 
the old hens is far less profitable. We believe in 
the great majority of cases it gives almost no 
profit at all, and the record of the old hens in the 
table illustrates this point. For convenience, 
and to facilitate comparison, we have figured 
the cost of food and the selling price of the eggs 
the same in all the tables—the cost of food at 
$1.25 per head per year, that being about what 
it costs us to feed a fowl a year, and feed her well. 

Table No. 1 is a report of the laying achieve¬ 
ment of thirteen White Plymouth Rock hens. 
Table No. 2, that of eleven White Wyandotte 
pullets, and these two columns show an average 
of 215 and 210 plus eggs per fowl within a year, 
and prove conclusively that fowls bred for eggs 
can be made to produce 200 eggs per year or 
better. Whether fowls kept in larger numbers 
would do that however, is uncertain. Table 
No. 3, of 280 White Wyandotte and Barred 
Plymouth Rock pullets and hens, shows an 
average of 178 eggs within a.year; and table 


45 


PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


Mr. Norton’s 280 Mr. Cox’s 100 

Rev. Mr. Buckingham’s Mr. Wood’s 11 White White Wy.ndottes Barred 

13 White P. Rock Hens. Wyandotte Pullets. and B. P. Rocks. Plymouth Rocks. 



No. ol Eggs Av. Price 

Val. of Eggs 

No. of Eggs 

October 

183 

31 

$4.72 

104 

November 

151 

36 

4.53 

207 

December 

169 

38 

5.35 

253 

January 

263 

34 

7.45 

181 

February 

264 

27 

5.94 

197 

March 

288 

19 

4.87 

253 

April 

258 

15 

3.22 

215 

May 

269 

17 

3.82 

145 

June 

240 

21 

4.20 

199 

July 

263 

24 

5.26 

206 

August 

223 

25 

6.63 

189 

September 

224 

28 

5.22 

167 

Totals 

2,795 


$61.21 

2,316 

Cost of 

food. . 


16.25 


Profit .. 



$44.96 



Profit 

per fowl. . 

$3.45 



Utah Ex. Station 
Utah Ex. Station 8 Late 8 Old Leghorn 

Hatched Leghorn Pullets Hens 


No. of Eggs Val. Eggs No. of Eggs Val. Eggs 


November 

0 

$0.00 

0 

$0.00 

December 

3 

.10 

0 

.06 

Januarv 

56 

1.58 

11 

.31 

February 

63 

1.42 

25 

.56 

March 

130 

2.06 

59 

.94 

April 

151 

1.88 

128 

1.60 

May 

153 

2.16 

132 

1.87 

June 

138 

2.41 

94 

1.64 

July 

135 

2.70 

65 

1.30 

August 

144 

3.00 

60 

1.25 

September 

112 

2.61 

68 

1.58 

October 

68 

1.75 

4 

.10 

Totals 

1,153 

$21.67 

648 

$11.21 

Cost of food 

10.00 


10.00 

Profit 


$11.67 


1.21 

Profit per 

fowl 

$1.45 


$0.15 


No. 4, of 100 Barred Plymouth Rock hens, 
shows an average of 179 (almost 180) eggs 
in a year. The best record for large num¬ 
bers of hens of which we know, is that in 
which Mr. Wyckoff shows an average of 196 
eggs apiece from 600 head of White Leghorns. 

Anyone who carefully considers the question 
of profit will concede that fowls that lay 175 to 
200 eggs apiece in a year, pay a good profit to 


Val. Eggs 

No. of Eggs 

Val. Eggs 

No. of Eggs 

Val. Eggs 

$ 2.68 

1,576 

$ 40.71 

793 

$20.49 

6.21 

3,179 

95.37 

1,140 

34.20 

8.01 

4,745 

150.29 

1,102 

34.91 

5.13 

5,437 

154.05 

1,951 

55.28 

4.44 

6,244 

140.49 

2,300 

51.75 

4.00 

5,650 

89.47 

1,592 

25.20 

2.68 

5,289 

66.12 

1,770 

22.12 

2.05 

4,620 

65.45 

1,911 

27.07 

3.48 

3,813 

66.73 

1,832 

32.06 

4.12 

3,848 

76.96 

1,406 

28.12 

3.93 

3,048 

63.50 

1,279 

26.64 

3.90 

2,542 

59.33 

901 

21.05 

50.63 

49,991 

1,068.47 

17,978 

$378.80 

13.75 


350.00 


125.00 

36.88 


718.47 


253.89 

3.35 


2.56 


2.53 


their owners, as a study of these tables will 
easily show, and if he compares the first four 
tables with the last two, he will easily 
understand why it is that the November, 
December and January eggs pay the richest 
profit. It is, of course, because of the highest 
prices of those months; and it is equally mani¬ 
fest, if one studies the matter closely, that those 
high prices are due to the scarcity of fresh eggs in 
those months; and that scarcity is due to the 
faet that the great bulk of the poultry kept on 
our farms is either old hens or late hatched pul¬ 
lets. The point of December and January- 
profits will be better understood if we compare 
the egg yield and profits of those months with 
those of April and May, of course with the same 
flock of 125 fowls, 12 of them one-year-old hens, 
and 113 pullets. 



No. of eggs 

Sold for 

Profit 

December, 

1,626 

$51.49 

$37.43 

January, 

2,068 

51.70 

37.64 

April, 

2,232 

27.50 

13.84 

May, 

2,332 

30.12 

16.06 


Here we see that either the December or Jan¬ 
uary egg yield paid more profit than April and 
May together. Everybody’s hens are laying in 
April and May, and prices are the lowest of the 
year; only the “bred for eggs and fed for eggs” 
birds are laying in November, December and 
January, and the prices of those months pay 
the “creamy” profits. 


46 











PEDIGREE BREEDING FOR EGG PRODUCTION. 


Table No. 5, showing the performance of old 
Leghorn hens, gives us clear proof of the un¬ 
profitableness of keeping old hens. They lay 
fairly well when they get down to work, but there 
is so much “dead horse” to pay for in the idle 
months of November, December and January, 
that it is practically all they can do to pay off 
their old debt and come out even. With the 
late hatched pullets it is somewhat different, be¬ 
cause they are such persistent layers after they 
get to laying, and as the summer prices pay a very 
fair profit, they come out at the end of the year 
with a fair balance in their favor. The late 
hatched pullets, however, are at a great disad¬ 
vantage in more ways than one. Not only 
have they got to be fed well into the winter, be¬ 
fore they begin to lay, and their best egg yield 
comes at the time of lowest prices, but their eggs 
are generally small in size, hence of little use for 
hatching; or, if they are used for hatching, they 
transmit the late maturing and late laying habit 
to their offspring, begetting another generation 
of late laying pullets, and “the sins of the parents 
are visited upon the children even unto the third 
and fourth generation.'” 

The study of the'history of the birds which 
have made these several records, is extremely 
interesting. The Rev. Mr. Buckingham says 
he selected his thirteen W. P. Rock year-old hens 
from a flock of about two hundred, and paid a 
premium for the privilege of going into the flock 
and selecting. That he had the ability to pick 
out good layers that spendid egg record attests, 
and we can but regret that the enforced removal 
of that gentleman, due to the system of clerical 
rotation obtaining in his church, obliged him to 
give up the flock which he had so excellently 
begun; it would have been very interesting to 
have had a continuance of that experiment. 

Mr. Woods’ pullets were raised from eggs 
bought of Dr. Sanborn, and were fed for growth 
as chickens, and fed for laying after they were 
mature. It is worthy of note that a friend of 
Mr. Woods shared with him in the purchase of 
several sittings of eggs, and that the pullets 
raised by the friend from precisely simile eggs 
to Mr. Woods’, were fully two months later in 
maturing, and then laid much less well. This 
certainly gives us a valuable object lesson of the 
decided advantage of good care and good food. 

Mr. Norton’s story is equally interesting. He 
keeps from 275 to 300 head of fowls; got, in 
1895, 29,726 eggs; 39,551 in 1896, and 49,991 


in the twelve months October, ’96, to Sept., ’97, 
inclusive. There was an increase of substan¬ 
tially 10,000 eggs each year, entirely due to 
more house room, better care and careful selec¬ 
tion of breeding stock—in other words, by 
following commonsense methods. With prac¬ 
tically the same number of birds, he increased 
in three years from 29,000 to 49,000 egg , which 
is eloquent of what good care and good feeding, 
(or, if one prefers the term, common sense 
methods intelligently applied), will accomplish. 
Mr. Cox’s story is almost similar. He tells us 
how he increased his egg yield from about ninety 
a year to an average of 179 a year, breeding from 
known layers and taking good care of them. 
He says in a letter, that “ ’Tis a long story, not 
straight up either, but down and back a couple 
of times,” and in the tabulated statement 
which he gave us (from which this table is made) 
he says, “We got above results by giving our 
hens the same thoughtful care and attention -we 
give our cows, pigs, horses, farm and garden 
crops. The very same principles applied to 
our wheat fields, gave us a yield of 23 bushels 
per acre (township yield, 12£); potatoes 372 
bu. per acre, (township yield, less than 100) 
and so on. Any thoughtful, intelligent farmer, 
with the aid of a good poultry paper and a few 
good poultry books, can do as well or better 
with his hens, for, I am ashamed to say, in the 
hurry and rush of the busy season on our farm, 
our hens are the first thing neglected.” 

There is a splendid object lesson in that story 
and a like splendid one in the tables which we 
present herewith for our readers to study. The 
keeping of old hens and late hatched pullets, 
while it pays a profit, pays not at all like the 
keeping of early hatched pullets, kept growing, 
or of carefully selected year-old hens got through 
the molt early, and got back to laying before 
cold weather, then kept laying. We want the 
very best profit on our farm, and get very little 
consolation in the half-loaf when the whole 
loaf is just as easily obtainable. It only re¬ 
quires that the plan shall be carefully thought 
out and then systematically followed; or, as 
Mr. Cox graphically puts it, that the same 
intelligent care be given to the hens that is given 
to the other farm industries or business interests. 
Poultry will pay and pay well if the owner wills 
it; and that our readers may make it pay and 
pay well, is our purpose. 


47 


Farm Poultry. 


PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


Mr. Wood's 210 Eggs Per Hen. 

We have had a number of inquiries in regard 
to the details of that egg yield of two hundred 
and ten eggs per hen within one year, which Mr. 
F. E. Woods got last year—and we drove up 
there the other day to see his stock, and asked 
permission to look over his egg record. From 
twenty-six White Wyandotte eggs which Mr. 
Woods bought there were eleven pullets raised, 
and it was those eleven pullets which made this 
excellent record. The chickens were hatched 
the 23d of April, and the first egg was laid Sept. 
22nd,—one day before the pullets were five 
months old. During the remaining days of 


September they laid eight eggs. 

In the twelve 

months beginning October 1st, 

their egg yield 

was as follows: 


October. 

.105 

November. 

.207 

December . 

.253 

January. 

.181 

February . 

.197 

March. 

.253 

April. 

.215 

May. 

.145 

June. 

.199 

July . 

.206 

August. 

.189 

September. 

.167 


making a total of two thousand three hundred 
and seventeen, which is two hundred and ten 
and seven-elevenths eggs for each of the eleven 
birds. 

The daily record is exceedingly interesting to 
look over. There are quite a number of tens 
in it; eights and nines are very numerous 
through November, December, February, March 
and April, and on Christmas day, they laid 
eleven eggs, scoring one apiece, on account of 
the day, no doubt. There is one day’s record 
of twelve eggs, but Mr. Woods says that he is 
practically certain that one or two of these eggs 
were laid before that day, as eight eggs were 
found in the regular nests, and four more in one 
corner, where one or two of them had probably 
been overlooked, so he does not claim that 
any one of his birds laid two eggs in one day. 
Three or four of the pullets were allowed to sit 
the last of April or first of May, which would 
account for the smaller number of eggs in May 
and Mr. Woods is confident the small egg yield 
in January is due to his having fed whole corn 
once a day for a couple of weeks or so. 

Farm Poultry. 


Eggs in Fall and Winter. 

By Edgar Warren. 

Some weeks ago I visited a man who is one of 
the most successful egg farmers that I know 
anything about. He is employed ten hours or 
more each day in a store, and yet he manages to 
clear up several hundred dollars a year from 
his hens. He does not get fancy prices for eggs 
or stock, but ships to Boston and gets the prices 
current there. 

This man is very systematic and methodical 
and can tell just how many eggs he gets in any 
given year and, to a fraction of a cent, what it 
costs to produce them. His financial year runs 
from November 1 to November 1. Last year 
(1902) he kept four hundred and seventy-five 
hens, and they laid 70,399 eggs, which he sold 
for SI,429. The year before (1901) he kept 
four hundred and seventy-five hens and they 
laid 69,506 eggs, which he sold for $1,104. 

You will observe that he got but 893 more 
eggs last year than he did the year before, and 
yet his eggs brought him $325 more. How do 
I account for that? It is very simple. His hens 
laid more eggs in the fall and early winter last 
year than they did the year before. 

Late Fall and Early Winter Profits. 

I mention this case because it is so suggestive. 
Unless a man can get high prices for eggs for 
setting in the spring, the time for him to make 
his profits is in early winter and late fall. A 
dozen of eggs at Thanksgiving are worth two 
dozen St. Patrick’s Day or the Fourth of July. 
There never has been a year within my recol¬ 
lection when eggs have not been high in fall and 
early winter, and I do not believe there will be 
till the end of time. And yet there is no diffi¬ 
culty in getting eggs at this season if one goes 
about it in the right way. 

The “ First Rule." 

Eggs in fall and early winter must come prin¬ 
cipally from pullets. A hen that has laid faith¬ 
fully for nine or ten months is now in the midst 
of her molt or just recovering from it. Conse¬ 
quently we must not expect her to do much in 
the way of producing eggs. If she is of the 
American breed she will lay now and then, 
enough to pay for her keep, but nothing great. 
So, as I have said, we must depend upon pullets. 
But a pullet must be thoroughly mature before 
she settles down to lay an egg a day. 

The first rule for fall and winter egg produc¬ 
tion, therefore*, is this: Get out your pullets 


48 















PEDIGREE BREEDING FOR EGG PRODUCTION. 



Light Brahma Eggs Weighing 2 lbs. to the Dozen, Laid by Yeai-Old Pullets that Weighed 8 and 10 y 2 lbs. Each. In the 
Hand is Seen a Light Brahma Egg Contrasted with the Egg of a Buff Plymouth Rock Pullet; the Small 

Egg Just Below was Laid by a Japanese Bantam. 


early, and keep them growing from the day 
they break the shell to the day they go into 
their houses in the fall. 

From Free Range into Confinement. 

I have always advocated free range for grow¬ 
ing stock, but I question whether I shall do so 
any longer. The man I have been telling you 
about has a method of handling his birds that 
seemed to me very peculiar at first, but which 
the more I think of it the more it commends 
itself to my judgment. He gives his laying hens 
free range (except in winter), while he keeps his 
chicks shut up in their yards. 

Such a course is so antagonistic to the one 
commonly pursued that it does not seem to u^ 
at first glance as if it could possibly be right. 
And yet reflection shows us that it is based 
on a sound philosophy. After a hen begins to 
lay she acquires a certain momentum in egg 
production and is not easily checked. The 
change from confinement to free range, there¬ 


fore, does not interfere with the egg output; if 
anything, it increases it. 

Then, too, a year-old hen in confinement has 
a tendency to become fat, and the range is 
almost necessary to keep her in good condition. 
She needs to be encouraged to take exercise. 
But with a chick it is different. The little rest¬ 
less thing is on the move from morning until 
night. Much of the food that is eaten goes to 
repair the waste of tissue that comes from so 
much exertion. If a chicken is left to itself it 
will run about the fields until the snow flies, 
wasting the days in useless exercise; but if the 
chick is kept in a yard 'where it cannot run 
about so much a large proportion of the food 
consumed goes to growth, and the chicken 
reaches maturity much sooner than it 'would 
otherwise. 

The time is coming when it will not be thought 
necessary to allow' chickens to range all over 
creation, but they wall be brought up in small 
yards and kept coming from the start. I 
venture to say that a pullet brought up this way 


49 




PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


will lay at least a month earlier than one that is 
allowed free range. 

House Influences Egg Production. 

The house where the laying stock is kept has 
a great influence upon winter egg production. 
There is a man here in New Hampshire who keeps 
seven thousand laying hens, in houses that are 
open to the weather on one side—the south— 
all the year round. While he is entitled to the 
credit of demonstrating the fact that fresh air is 
good for hens, yet it is safe to say that it is not 
a very heavy job on his farm to gather the eggs 
during the winter months. 

The house must be dry, warm, sunny and 
comfortable. Before the young birds are 
placed in it in the fall, it should be thoroughly 
renovated and whitewashed. If there is no 
scratching shed, litter must be placed in the 
house and the birds made to work for at least a 
part of what they eat. Birds in confinement 
need a moderate amount of exercise, although 
they need not be kept on the jump from morn¬ 
ing until night. There should be a box in the 
house with compartments for grit, charcoal and 
oyster shells, and these compartments should 
never be allowed to become empty. Eggs are 
37.7 per cent, water, and so the water supply 
should be carefully looked after. 

, Generous Feeding Absolutely Necessary. 

Generous feeding is absolutely necessary for 
eggs in the fall and winter, and the food must 
not only be generous in amount, but must also 
contain all the ingredients that are necessary to 
repair the waste in the bird’s system and pro¬ 
duce the egg. A balanced ration is best. By a 
balanced ration I do not mean a ration mathe¬ 
matically and scientifically compounded, but I 
mean a ration from which no important element 
is absent. 

A Four Days’ Bill of Fare. 

Instead of entering into the philosophy of 
feeding, which I have not time to do here, I can 
do no better than give a bill of fare for four days 
which has been thoroughly tested and will do 
the business: 

First Day: Potatoes boiled in the afternoon 
or evening and allowed to stand in the water in 
which they were boiled over night, eight quarts. 
In the morning pour off the surplus water from 
the potatoes, add the gluten, also add mixed 
green feed, two quarts, corn and oats ground 
and mixed (provender), two quarts. At noon 


throw whole wheat in litter, two ounces to each 
fowl. 

Second Day: Waste bread, soaked over night, 
eight quarts; beef scraps, two quarts; corn and 
oats mixed (provender), two quarts. At noon 
two ounces wheat or cracked corn to each fowl. 

Third Day: Clover, chopped fine and soaked 
over night, eight quarts. In the morning pour 
off the surplus water and add two quarts flour 
middlings, two quarts boiled beef and bone, two 
quarts corn meal and oats. Cracked corn for 
dinner, two ounces to each fowl. 

Fourth Day: Whole oats, soaked over night, 
eight quarts; gluten, soaked over night, four 
quarts. Add in the morning two quarts shorts, 
one quart beef and bone, two quarts corn and 
oats, ground and mixed. Noon, cracked corn 
or backweat. 

The Mash and the Litter. 

All are not situated so that they can feed as I 
have described, but all can give their fowls a 
warm mash in the morning in which there are 
corn meal, oat meal, shorts or middlings, and a 
little meat in some form. Feed them all they 
will eat up clean in fifteen minutes, and at noon 
give them enough grain in their litter to keep 
them scratching until dark. Don’t feed corn 
alon£. but vary by throwing in wheat, oats and 
occasionally some other grain. 

Green Food Every Day. 

Green food should be given to the birds every 
day, either in the mash or separately. Hang 
up a cabbage in the pen for them to pick at. 
Turnips, split in two and placed where they can 
get at them, will be eaten with a relish. 

Poultry Keeper. 

When the Pullets Take to Laying. 

At this time of the year we anxiously look day 
by day for our first pullets’ eggs. Some early 
hatched stock has been laying a week or two, 
but November is the month for pullets’ eggs. 

It is very important to place your pullets in 
coops as they are intended to remain during the 
fall and winter. It takes them a while to get 
accustomed to their surroundings, or, in other 
words, to feel at home. Fowls are great creat¬ 
ures of habit, and once they establish certain 
habits they do not like to be disturbed. Mov¬ 
ing layers, therefore, from coop to coop simply 
upsets their habits, and they begin all over again 
to study the new situation, and during this time 
they usually stop laying. 


60 


PEDIGREE BREEDING FOR EGG PRODUCTION. 


When pullets begin to lay they seem quite 
uncertain. Some will lay regularly every other 
day, and some only twice a week. Of coures 
the first eggs are generally too small for use, or 
at least for market use, but they increase grad¬ 
ually in size. It becomes quite a study to 
keep pullets laying regularly. A regular system 
of feeding has much to do with it. By regular 
feeding is meant, not so much a regular hour as 
a regular quantity at each meal. One day a 
feast and the next a famine, will upset any flock 
of layers, and especially pullets. Fowls, as a 
rule, eat about so much at each meal, and it is 
a very easy matter to determine just the quan¬ 
tity required. Feeding a little short during the 
day induces exercise; and feeding all they will 
eat at night brings contentment and quiet 
roosting until morning. It is my opinion that 
the majority of breeders, even our best, feed too 
much, or feed injudiciously. Feeding layers to 
produce eggs is a very delicate matter—I do not 
mean to produce an ordinary number of eggs, 
but to produce the greatest possible number. 

Birds bred exclusively for show purposes, and 
to produce prize winners, are usually poor 
layers. This is not to be wondered at, if one 
knows how such stock is bred and raised. 
Early laying in such stock is discouraged. If 
the breeder is saving a string of pullets for his 
own show purposes, he prefers that they do 
not lay before going in to a show, and to prevent 
this he continually moves them from coop to 
coop each time the laying tendency becomes 
manifest. A pullet being at her best as to shape 
and plumage before she lays her first eggs, it is 
the object of such breeders to keep her so. 

I consider that green food of some sort fed 
every day in the year is really more important 
in a continuous egg yield than a choice of grains. 
Of course, in spring and summer, nature in the 
fields produces green food enough and in suffi¬ 
cient variety, but in the fall and during the 
winter, this green food ration should be kept up. 
Cabbages, mangel wurzels and steamed clover, 
together with boiled beets, carrots and turnips, 
fill the bill almost as well. 

The hardest task in maintaining a constant 
and continuous egg yield is to keep the laying 
stock in prime condition. This means such a 
condition of perfect health that the eggs will not 
only be laid regularly, but that they will be of 
uniform size, according to the breed laying 
them. Under such conditions, we should have 
large eggs from Minorcas, Leghorns, Plymouth 


Rocks and Brahmas. When such breeds lay 
small eggs, abnormally large eggs with perhaps 
double yolks or soft-shelled eggs, the stock is 
out of condition and usually over-fat. The 
eggs will thus be laid irregularly, and many 
times laying will stop entirely. Layers should 
be kept active, and activity is induced by short 
feeding. A hungry hen is usually a good layer. 

Some breeds, such as Leghorns, Minorcas, An¬ 
dalusians, etc., are by nature active, but still they 
can be overfed. Other breeds, such as Brah¬ 
mas, Cochins and Leghorns, being naturally 
slow in their movements, are less active, and 
can be easily overfed. As a rule, lazy hens are 
poor layers, and must be induced to exercise. 
Hunger will compel activity more or less. 
Some breeds are called good foragers. If hens 
are inclined to forage, and they can do this in a 
coop as well as in the fields, they must find some¬ 
thing after a diligent search. Scattering grain, 
therefore, in very deep litter, will compel a great 
deal of exercise to find it. A hen that seeks 
and finds will be induced to seek again; but, if 
after great efforts in scratching, she finds 
nothing, she will become discouraged and wait 
for feed time, and then eat too much, and thus 
contract lazy habits. 

A very successful egg farmer once told me 
that in winter he always had something in his 
coops for his hens to pick at—scattered grain, 
a cabbage hanging up, and even bones with a 
little meat on them, always something to find in 
order that his flock should not contract lazy 
habits. In this he was humoring the natural 
instinct of the animal. A hen let run at large 
is almost always hunting, picking and scratching 
—first at a blade of grass, then a bug, then a 
worm, and next a seed. I think yarded hens 
lay more eggs than fowls let run. They cost 
more to keep, but the returns in eggs are usually 
larger. The fact is that yarded hens fed on 
food which is chosen because it will make eggs, 
convert this food into eggs, as it is intended they 
should, whereas if let run and fed the same way, 
they are apt to convert the food into flesh and 
muscle rather than eggs. 

Feeding for a continuous egg yield requires 
good judgment, and a great deal of careful 
watching in order to keep the flock in prime 
condition. A good laying strain of any breed, 
when in prime condition, will lay eggs regularly 
like clock work, but it requires care and con¬ 
stant watching to keep the machinery in order. 

E. 0. Roessle, in “Country Gentleman. ” 


51 


Chapter IV. 


PULLETS FOR LAYERS. YEAR-OLD HENS FOR BREEDERS. THE WINTER 

EGGS PAY THE BEST PROFIT. 


~HE one object of all poultry keeping is 
^ profit, and as in practical egg farming 
it is the fall and winter eggs that pay 
e) the best profit, it is necessary that we 
study the conditions favorable to get¬ 
ting eggs in fall and winter if we would have 
that best profit. It is very generally conceded 
by observing poultrymen that the pullets are 
the early winter layers, hence it is obvious that 
we must look to the pullets for the eggs that 
pay that best profit. It is equally well under¬ 
stood, by experienced egg farmers, that to be 
good fall and winter layers, these pullets must 
have been early hatched, and have been kept 
growing so that they come to fidl size and laying 
maturity before the cold weather of winter 
overtakes them; indeed, the writer has frequent¬ 
ly expressed the opinion that the key note to the 
best profit from poultry can be laid down in 
these three short rules: 

First: Hatch the chicks early. 

Second: Keep them growing so that the 
pullets shall come to laying maturity before 
cold weather. 

Third: Keep them laying by good care and 
good food. 

The full story of profitable egg farming is 
condensed into those three short rules. 

It is equally well understood that the chicks 
hatched from the eggs of pullets are generally 
slightly smaller, and are likely to be less hardy 
and vigorous than the chicks from the eggs of 
year-old hens, and the wisest poultry man 
hatches the chicks which are to be the future 
laving-breeding stock from the eggs of year-old 
hens. This principle of pullets for layers and 
year-old hens for breeders makes it easy to plan 
our method of procedure. To get the best all¬ 
round results, three-fourths of our stock should 
be early hatched and well matured pullets, 
we will get the bulk of the early fall and winter 
eggs from them,—the eggs which pay the 
creamy profit; and by selecting for the future 


breeders the best layers among those pullets 
and breeding from them when they are year-old 
hens, we will strengthen the laying habit and 
thus increase and develop' it. It is well known 
that not every pullet hatched from eggs pro¬ 
duced by a great layer will be a great layer, 
just as it is known that not every colt from 
record trotting ancestry will prove a great 
trotter; still we will get the best results if we 
breed from stock of known great-laying an¬ 
cestry, because by breeding from that stock we 
will strengthen and develop the egg-producing 
quality. 

In this chapter we give numerous articles 
which show, also a report of a poultry experi¬ 
ment conducted at the Utah Agricultural Ex¬ 
periment Station, the illustrations accom¬ 
panying which clearly show, that it is to the 
pullets that we must look for profitable egg 
production. With a certainty better average 
size of the egg, and consequently better size of 
the chick hatched from the egg (even with a 
lesser egg yield), the year-old hens will be profit¬ 
able to us if we consider them chiefly as breeding 
stock; they will not lay so many eggs at the 
time of the highest prices, but during the breed¬ 
ing season, when we want their eggs the most, 
they will be practically as good egg producers 
as the pullets; the profit of keeping year-old 
hens is in the greater strength and vigor of the 
young chicks hatched from their eggs, and that 
greater strength and vigor is of itself a good 
profit for keeping them. We must have great 
strength and vigor in our laying stock if they are 
to be realty great layers. This point is well 
brought out in Bulletin No. 79 of the Maine 
Agricultural Experiment Station which reports 
poultry experiments in the years J900 and 1901. 
In that report is given the egg records for two 
years of the many tested birds, and this state¬ 
ment is made: 

“Every hen that has laid large numbers of 
eggs through the first two years, has shown 


52 




PULLETS FOR LAYERS. 


much vigor and constitution.” This strong 
statement will be no surprise to an experienced 
poultryman, and is worth quoting here because 
we want to emphasize the fact of the necessity 
of the greater strength and vigor, which we get 
in chicks hatched from the eggs of year-old 
breeding stock. This same bulletin of the 
Maine Experiment Station reports the results of 
breeding from known great layers, and by thus 
breeding it has developed the egg laying tend¬ 
ency of the stock. In their breeding pens are 
hens that have laid over 200 eggs each within 
the year, and the best layer of all laid 251 eggs 
within a year of reaching laying maturity. One 
is reported which laid 201 eggs the first year, 
140 the second and 130 the third year; making 
a total of 471 eggs within the three years; 
another hen laid 191 eggs the first year, 157 
the second year and 138 the third year, making 
486 eggs in the three years. The bulletin goes 
on to say, “ During the three years in which we 
have been selecting breeding stock bv use of 
trap nests we have found 30 hens that laid be¬ 
tween 200 and 251 eggs in a year. All of the 
other breeding stock we are now carrying are 
tested hens that have laid over 180 eggs in a year, 
pullets whose mothers laid over 200 eggs in one 
year and whose fathers’ mothers laid over 
200 eggs in one year; and pullets sired by 
cockerels whose mothers and grandmothers laid 
over 200 eggs in one year.” It is a pleasure to 
quote these statements, they so capitally illus¬ 
trate the importance of breeding up the egg- 
producing habit; by following in the foot steps 
of the Maine Experiment Station people we will 
substantially improve the laying qualities of 
our stock. 

A point frequently overlooked in connection 
with pullets for layers is, that if the hens are all 
kept over a second, third and fourth year they 
occupy the house room and are eating food of 
pullets which would pay double the profit. We 
do not claim that a pullet would lay twice as 
many eggs as a hen, the point we want to bring 
out is, that a greater proportion of the pullets’ 
eggs are produced at the time when prices are 
highest and pay the best profit. Eggs are high 
in price at that time because the hens have not 
recovered from the molt and are taking a rest, 
and also because many of the pullets are late 
hatched and have not begun to lay. If we are 
so fortunate as to have early hatched and well 
matured pullets laying at that time we are 


getting the “ cream ” of the profit from egg pro¬ 
duction. 

Another point which we need to keep in mind 
is,, that if the hens are kept over we lose the 
amount which they would sell for, anti if we 
have got good stock the amount the hens sell for 
materially increases the profit account. 

A few weeks ago the writer was visiting Chi¬ 
cago and was told of an Illinois farmer who 
shipped some coops of Plymouth Rock hens to a 
South Water Street commission dealer the week 
before, the hens met a 15 cent market and 
returned the farmer Si.07 each after freight 
and commission were paid. Obviously if this 
Illinois farmer had kept over those hens he would 
not have received that Si.07 each. 

Some writers claim that the cost of raising 
pullets to take the place of the year-old or two- 
year-old hens must be considerable, but we 
have proved, year after year, that the cockerels 
hatched with the pullets can be sold at from 
four to five months old for enough to pay for all 
the food eaten by both themselves and the 
pullets, hence, considering the cockerels as 
simply a by-product, the pullets cost nothing 
for the food they have eaten up to laying 
maturity. Some will be inclined to doubt this 
statement, but, as we stated before, we demon¬ 
strated it again and again, and can prove that 
the pullets at laying maturity cost absolutely 
nothing but the labor of caring for them; obvi¬ 
ously then, all of the money received for the 
sale of the year or two-year-old hens is clear 
gain. 

It is the old familiar story of the slow shilling 
and the nimble sixpence; the latter pays its 
owner many times more interest than the slow 
shilling. The pullets not only pay us the better 
profit in the increased number of eggs produced, 
but the failure to sell the old hens entails the 
expense of house room and food which could 
have been used by more profitable pullets, 
which would be so much better layers; and it 
also cuts us off from the income of the sale of the 
hens themselves. 

With these several points of advantage clearly 
in mind we think our readers will understand 
the importance of the motto,—“ Pullets for 
layers, and year-old hens for breeders.” 



53 


PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


Four Thousand Eggs in December, 

We didn’t quite do it—the exact figures being 
8,957—but we expected to pass the 4,000 mark, 
and up to Christmas day there was every indi¬ 
cation that we would do so; but our young 
man went home for a week’s vacation, and the 
eggs dropped off a little—one here, another 
there, possibly owing to slight difference in 
quantity of food, and we were 43 eggs short of 
our ambition. 

The record is perfectly satisfactory as it is; 
we have no hard feelings toward the birds that 
gave us Si30 worth of eggs in thirty-one days, 
and we feel that not many of our readers can 
beat that record. 

We have 90 year-old fowls, and 290 pullets, 
and their total egg-yield for each day was: 


Dec. 1. 

.Ill 

Dec. 17. . . . 

.116 

9 

.105 

18.... 

.142 

3. 

.112 

19.... 

.142 

4. 

.127 

20.... 

.120 

5. 

.117 

21. . . . 

.147 

6. 

.124 

22 

.120 

7. 

.123 

23.... 

.152 

8. 

.115 

24.... 

.140 

9. 

.120 

25.... 

.132 

10. 

.143 

26.... 

.136 

11. 

.109 

27.... 

.150 

12. 

.125 

28.... 

.136 

13. 

.132 

29.... 

.118 

14. 

.127 

30.... 

.125 

15. 

.129 

31. . . . 

.136 

16. 

.126 



Total. 



. . . .3,957 


This is an average of almost ten and one-half 
eggs per hen for the month, and quite as much 
as can reasonably be expected. If one is getting 
•j (33^%) egg yield in December, he is doing all 
that he has a right to expect. Many of the old 
hens haven’t fully recovered from the drain of 
the molt; and pullets do not (as a rule) pro¬ 
duce an egg every other day in early winter. 
We have one pen of pullets that did. One pen 
of Leghorn—Lt. Brahma cross, laid an average 
of 154 eggs apiece—exactly 50% egg-yield; 
and a pen of White Wyandotte pullets laid an 
average of 14^ eggs apiece, a very close second. 

It is easily apparent that it is the pullets that 
produced this highly satisfactory egg-yield. 
The 290 pullets laid 3,373 eggs, an average of 
(practically) Ilf eggs apiece; while the 90 year- 
old hens laid but 584 eggs, (practically) 



White Wyandotte Eggs Weighing Two Pounds to the Dozen. 

This is the kind of eggs that the housekeepers crave 
and will pay a Handsome Premium for. 

From the Poultry Farm of 
Barnes & Woodbury, 

VVenham, Mass. 

eggs apiece, a difference of about 90% in favor 
of the pullets. 

The price of eggs has been 40 cents a dozen 
for most of the month, and the market value 
of these eggs is $130. It costs us about $1.35 to 
feed a fowl a year, which is Ilf cents a month, 
making a cost of feeding these 380 fowls for that 
month, $42.75, leaving us a profit of $87.25— 
a pretty fair return for one month’s work, and 
that the dull month of December. The profit, 
however, is really greater than that. Those 
fowls have got to lie fed whether or not they are 
laying. A certain amount of food has got to 
be fed them to repair waste and furnish fuel for 
necessary warmth; those animal economies 
must be met first, and it is only when there is a 
surplus over and above these calls, that there 
are eggs produced. It is usually estimated that 
it costs $1 a year to feed a fowl, which is 8f 
cents a month, making $31.67 for a month’s 
food for 380 fowls, and that allows $11.08 for 
the surplus—the meat meal, green food, etc., 
which induced the egg-yield. 

There was no “ happen so ” about those eggs. 
They were planned for long ago. The pullets 
that laid them were hatched early, were fed for 
growth, so that a good many were laying in 
October, and since November they were fed for 
eggs, and they have been kept at work. 

Farm Poultry. 


54 



































PULLETS FOR LAYERS. 


PULLETS VS. HENS r AS PROFITABLE 
LAYERS. 

The Pullets Excel Yearling Hens and Greatly 
Excel Three and Four-Year-Old 
Hens—Reliable Data from a 
Reliable Source. 

Age may bring reason to the hen, as it some¬ 
times does in the case of a man; it may bring 
her experience and with experience wisdom, as 
occasionally happens to her owner. But does 
age with its reason and experience with its 
wisdom, assist the hen in the production of eggs? 
That is the question that appeals to the practical 
poultry man. 

Having in view the interests of this class of 
poultry keepers, experiments were inaugurated 
at the Utah Experiment Station to test the 
relative egg-producing capacity of hens at 
different ages. Two pens of three and four year 
olds were placed in “ competition” with two pens 
of pullets. The breed was Rose Comb Brown 
Leghorn in each case, and the strain was the 
same. There were four fowls in each pen. The 
pens were 5 feet by 7 feet, and attached to each 
was an outside yard 5 x 40 feet. 

The following table gives the average results 
of the experiment for the first year, 1896-7: 


Weight of Food Consumed Per Fowl, in 
Pounds and Cost of Same. 


Number of 
Eggs Produced 
and Value. 


Mash. 

Wheat. 

Bones. 

Corn. 

| Oats. 

Barley. 

Lucerne. 

| Cabbage. 

Cost. J 

No. of 
Eggs. 

Value. 

1 

Food Cost 
Per Doz. 

Per Cent 
Profit. 








Cts. 

Cts. 

Cts. 


Old Hens (1).. 10 

22 % 

10 

6 

11 

1 

5 3 

53%! 64 

56 

9.9 

5 

Old Hens (2).. 10 

27 

10 % 

6% 

14 

1 

4% 4 

62 107 

100 

6.9 

61 






57% 85 

61% 158 

78 

8.4 

33 

Pullets (t). 10 

25 

10% 

6 

14 

1 

4% 7 

168 

4 6 

174 

Pullets (2). 10 

27 

ioy 2 

6% 

14 

1 

4% 4 

62 182 

188 

4 1 

203 







b2 170 

178 

4.4 

188 









- 

-- 


It will be seen from the above that the two 
pens of old hens laid an average of 85 eggs per 
fowl during the year, while the two pens of pul¬ 
lets laid 170, or exactly double the number laid 
by the former. The value of the eggs laid by the 
old hens was 78 cents per fowl, and by the latter 
$1.78 per fowl. The cost of the food required 
to produce a dozen eggs was 8.4 cents for the old 
hens and 4.4 cents for the pullets. 

The pullets of 1896-7 were continued as one- 
year-old hens the second year, 1897-8, with 
addition of another fowl of like age, breed, and 
former treatment, to each pen, making five 
fowls in each during the second year. The 


results of their second year’s work are given in 
the following table. 



It is seen that pen 1 laid during the second 
year an average of 150.8 eggs per fowl, against 
158 the first year. Pen 2 laid 114.2 the second 
year against 182 the first. They averaged^the 
first year 170 per fowl and 132.5 the second 
year. As pullets their eggs were worth an 
average of $1.78 per fowl, and as one-j’ear-old 
hens they averaged $1.40, a difference of 38 
cents in favor of the first year’s laying. But 
the profit from the two is another question. 
Deducting the cost of food in each case we find 
that the profit was $1.16 per fowl the first year 
and 76 cents the second year. That makes 
the per cent, profit on food the first year 188 
and 118 the second. 

These figures will afford some basis for discus¬ 
sion of the question, does it pay to keep hens 
two years? Figuring on food cost alone there 
is a very satisfactory profit the second year as 
well as the first; so that it does pay when food 
cost alone is considered. But then there are 
other items of cost—labor, a yet unknown 
quantity, and interest on investment. The 
expense of keeping a pullet is no greater than 
that of a hen, and these figures show that the 
profit was some 50 per cent, greater for the pullet 
than the year-old hen. For ease of calculation 
suppose a man can care for a thousand hens. 
If they are pullets, according to these results, 
they will yield a profit on food of $1,160 per 
year. If they are one-year-old hens the profit 
will be $760. In the one case the man will have 
$1,160 for his labor, interest on investment, etc., 
and $760 in the other case; a difference of $400 
in favor of killing off the hens at the end of the 
first year. As he can care for only a limited 
number of hens it certainly would pay him to 
renew his flock every year, assuming that the 
cost of replacing the hen with a pullet can be 
paid with the money received from the sale of 
the hen. But the life of the great majority of 
the hens of the country is doubtless longer than. 


55 






















































PROFITABLE EGG FARMING, 







Baskets of eggs representing the number produced per 
year by pullets, hens one year old and old hens. Fig. 1. 
Pullets: Fig; 2, Hens one year old: Fig. 3, Hens three and 
four years old. 


56 























PULLETS FOR LAYERS. 


two years. If we refer again to table 1, we see 
that the average value of the eggs produced per 
fowl of old hens was 78 cents. Their food cost 
57^ cents, leaving only 20 cents profit on food. 
With a thousand such hens there would be left 
only $200 to pay for labor and interest on in¬ 
vestment, as against $1,160 in the case of pullets 
and $760 for one-year-old hens. 

In the above I have given the data obtained 
in a two years’ experiment. The results may 
be modified in further experiments. They are 
being continued at the Station and the third 
year will be completed in November. 

All pens were fed alike, except as to quantity. 
A mash composed of two parts bran and shorts 
and one part each of chopped corn and oats, was 
fed in the morning. About 10 o’clock a little 
grain was fed. Three times a week cut bones 
were fed. Cabbages were fed until about the 
first of March, after which, and until green grass 
could be secured, lucerne leaves were fed dry. 
This was scattered in the pens. During the 
summer green grass was thrown into the pens. 
No stimulating food was fed, except a little 
cayenne pepper in the morning mash. Salt was 
also used in the mash. During the winter coal 
ashes were kept before the fowls, also a little 
gravel. No oyster shells were fed until the 
middle of the summer. 

Though it is not a part of my subject, it may 
be mentioned incidentally that this experiment 
involved a test of the value of exercise. The 
pens marked (1) received their grain food in a 
box; the others (2) were fed in a litter of straw 
on the floor, inducing exercise. 

Eggs in Winter. 

The poultryman, or the housewife, who fails 
to get eggs during the cold months of the year is 
not getting the best returns possible, and runs 
very close to making a bad showing of the year’s 
work. It seems strange to meet the apparently 
indifferent feeling of many as regards winter pro¬ 
duction. Some will tell you that you cannot 
get many eggs in winter. Others say it does not 
pay for the extra work to produce the eggs dur¬ 
ing cold weather. You may be sure that these 
doubtful poultry keepers do not get many winter 
eggs, and probably have to buy of some neighbor 
who has good “ luck. ” 

In my experience with poultrymen I have 
known only one who failed to get winter eggs, 
who ever had the courage to expand his poultry 
plant, and he succeeded only because he was 


catering to a fancy egg demand at three dollars 
per sitting. I have noticed that quite a num¬ 
ber who do not advocate winter egg-production 
have only an ordinary egg yield in other months 
of the year, while those who do succeed in get¬ 
ting winter eggs have just as large a supply in 
spring and summer. Another side to winter egg 
yield is the pleasant results when eggs from these 
layers are set in spring, as they are most sure to 
be fertile. 

Eggs can be had in winter. In Canada, in the 
Northwest, in New England, and in the South, 
wherever we turn our eyes, we see those who are 
getting good results in winter. If others are 
succeeding you can. You may be discouraged 
because no one in your town is getting winter 
eggs, and you fear you cannot. I think if you 
inquire at the store, you will find that there is 
someone near you who is quietly bringing to 
market eggs every month of the year. Look up 
such a one, call and ask questions, and you will 
get plain answers. Do not be satisfied until you 
get out of your poultry all it is possible, both of 
profit and pleasure. 

In order to begin to get eggs by November, it 
is necessary to have well matured birds. Brah¬ 
mas and Cochins should be hatched in March, 
Wyandottes and Plymouth Rocks in April, Leg¬ 
horns and Minorcas in May or June. Under the 
best conditions, birds may be hatched later than 
the months stated, but for all-round success, 
the time given will be found about right. 

The early hatched birds should not have to 
fight for existence. Keep lice under control 
from the egg to the laying age. Feed for growth, 
many poultrymen fail just here. The feeding 
ration must contain all elements needed for 
building a living creature. It does not pay to 
take the chance of a bird finding for itself any 
special line of food. Buy only sound food. Do 
not use any grain that is musty or sour, because 
it is cheap. Less in quantity of better grain 
will give as good results, and you will not run 
the risk of sick birds from bad food. Feed 
wheat and barley rather than all corn. Do not 
depend on bugs to supply animal food, but feed 
every day something in the way of ground meat 
or green bone. Fresh water is necessary to get 
the best results from good and proper care. 

As chicks and young pullets, the birds must 
have air and sunlight. Do not at any time 
allow the chicks to be crowded. Have wire 
front to coops, giving safety from enemies, while 
air is admitted freely. Give the growing birds 


6T 


PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


all the run possible, cooping out on grass 
fields after haying. If this is not possible, do 
the best you can, supplying green food and not 
raising too many birds. When the cockerels are 
half grown, remove them to some other yard, 
giving their room to the pullets. 

The most important prerequisite to success is 
birds with the winter laying habit. By giving 
the right care, you can do much with any birds 
to increase the winter egg yield, but good solid 
success only comes when you have good working 
birds to use. Bv selecting the best layers to 
breed from each year, you can build up a pro¬ 
lific strain. Buying a male bird of known pedi¬ 
gree for winter laying, and mating him with the 
best hens you will hasten the time when you 
will be getting good results. 

In the long run, it pays to start as soon as 
you can, with birds that have fixed in them the 
laying habit. If you have no such birds, be on 
the lookout for eggs or stock from prolific layers. 
No matter what birds you prefer or need for 
your special purpose, you will find that there is a 
wide difference in the laying on various poultry 
plants. It is not always the ordinary bird that 
does the extraordinary laying. On the con¬ 
trary, we find today many prolific layers that 
are high scorers. Fancy breeders are giving 
more attention than ever before to attaining 
utility as well as show points. Blood does tell 
in a hen, as well as in a horse or cow. Build up 
an egg strain, and in time you will get j*our re¬ 
ward. 

Whatever the condition of the birds you may 
have to depend upon for your winter layers, 
much can be done to get the best results. Get 
the pullets into their winter quarters early. 
This enables them to settle down and become at 
home. Have the house well whitewashed, and 
free from red mites. Clean up all floors and 
windows. Dust every bird with some good in¬ 
sect powder, and repeat in two weeks. In car¬ 
ing for the birds, be quiet as possible, making no 
motion that they consider to mean danger to 
them. By all means keep the dog out of the 
house and yard. 

The house should be water tight, with no 
cracks to let a current of cold air onto the birds. 
The open front scratching shed house has helped 
solve to a large extent the keeping of healthy 
stock, and the getting of eggs in the off season 
of the year. The hens are so warmly clad that 
they will stand a low temperture, provided they 
receive proper food and are obliged to scratch 


for their grain. The trouble from the old time 
house was danger from extremes of temperature. 
The tight house would warm at midday to SO or 
90 degrees and cool down to 10 or 20 degrees at 
night. Hens well fed and kept busy will pay 
little attention to freezing weather. 

Scratching material must be furnished with 
free hand. This may be cheap hay, straw, 
leaves, or corn fodder. It will need little cutting 
as the birds will soon work it up fine enough if 
fed their grain in it. Clean water and sharp 
grit must always be within reach. To depend, 
even partially, on snow and gravel, is to take 
serious chances of failure. 

Feeding the mash in the morning give only 
what the birds will eat at once, keeping them in 
a condition to be willing to hunt in the litter for 
stray grain. At noon a light feed of grain or 
barley is scattered in the straw, and the hens 
scratch, sing and lay. The busy hen is the busi¬ 
ness hen. 

The supper should be a full feed of wheat or 
corn. Too many farmers depend upon corn and 
corn meal for poultry food. Corn is the most 
unbalanced grain we have in use. If not sure 
how to feed it, err by using little of it. 

When using the mash suggested above don’t 
give green bone. If you wish to use cut bone, 
feed it twice a week, at noon, giving what the 
birds will eat quickly, having omitted from that 
morning’s mash all animal food. Cut clover 
may be fed in the mash or by itself. 

Be quick to notice anything wrong about the 
birds. Know your best layers and hatch from 
them each spring. Of their chicks mark those 
that mature early and prove prolific layers. In 
buying fresh blood see that you get birds or eggs 
from good layers. It is not necessary to use 
crosses to get good layers. In fact, the thorough¬ 
breds have got ahead of the old barnyard fowl or 
cross. In the cold North, I should prefer to 
take my chances of success with the medium¬ 
sized birds, such as Wyandottes or Plymouth 
Rocks. Whatever breed you keep, do not be 
satisfied until you have as good a winter egg 
record as has been recorded for the variety. 

There is a pleasure in getting eggs when they 
are high in price, not only for the cash they 
bring, but also for the satisfaction that comes 
from succeeding in what we try to accomplish. 
The foundation upon which to build the success¬ 
ful poultry plant is winter eggs. 

Dr. N. W. Sanborn*, 

In “ Farm Poultry. ” 


58 


Chapter V. 


PRACTICAL EGG FARMS. HOUSES AND YARDS; CONTINUOUS HOUSES WITH 
YARDS; COLONY POULTRY HOUSES. MANY SUCCESSFUL POULTRY 
PLANTS ILLUSTRATED AND DESCRIBED. 


T"* HERE are many practical egg farms 
4. in the Eastern States, and in this 
chapter we give several accounts of 
2 ) visits made to, and observations 
upon, several of those practical egg 
farms, with the purpose of contrasting methods 
and suggesting instructive comparisons. 

A study of these various articles will reveal 
that the great majority of these poultry farmers 
house and yard their stock upon what we may 
define as the continuous-house plan. The con¬ 
sensus of opinion among observant poultry- 
men is to the effect that yarded fowls are greater 
egg producers than fowls given free range,—the 
theory being that fowls kept on the semi-con¬ 
finement plan, (that is, kept confined to houses 
and yards), do not waste food-energy in ranging 
widely. Experienced dairy farmers have 
learned that cows yielded a substantially more 
liberal milk-flow if fed at the stable by the soil¬ 
ing system, and given perhaps two or three hours 
of outdoor exercise daily to keep them in good 
health, than if permitted to range widely; and 
as the conditions of milch cows and of fowls 
kept for egg production are decidedly anal¬ 
ogous, it seems reasonable to think that fowls 
which are somewhat restricted as to exercise, 
will have more energy for egg production. 

Where fowls are kept confined to houses and 
yards, scrupulous attention must be paid to 
cleanliness of floors, nests, roost-platforms, etc., 
exercise must be promoted in winter when the 
birds are shut in by inclement weather or snow 
on the ground, and plentiful supplies of animal 
and vegetable food must be provided; growing 
careless as to some of these essentials has fre- 
quently been the first step on the road to failure! 

It is the opinion of many poultrymen that the 
disadvantages of the colony-house plan de¬ 
cidedly outweigh the theoretical advantages, 
and Ave know of poultry farms where the semi¬ 


confinement plan has been adopted after giving 
the colony-house plan a full trial, it having been 
found that there was a decidedly greater cost in 
caring for the foAvls and smaller proportionate 
returns, also that in inclement Aveather, (the 
very time when most needed), regularity of feed¬ 
ing and watering was extremely difficult. In 
mild climates these objections would haA'e less 
Aveight, and there are situations Avhere the 
colony-plan would be most desirable, such as on 
a fruit farm where the services of the birds as 
insect exterminators and sca\ r engers avouIc! be 
decided helpful. The unprotected condition of 
the birds at all times would need to be con¬ 
sidered, as both tAvo and four legged enemies 
have to be guarded against; in the one locality 
AA'here colony egg farms haA'e been most success¬ 
ful, in the toAvns of Tiverton and Little Comp¬ 
ton, R. I., and the adjoining town of Westport, 
Mass., the conditions are exceptionally favor- 
able; it being practically a peninsula extend¬ 
ing out into the sea and with no railroad or other 
disturbing factor. Other things being favor¬ 
able, protection could be provided by a strong 
woven- wire fence enclosing the tract and a brace 
of stout dogs turned loose in the enclosure at 
night. 

If foAA’ls are to be confined in houses and yards, 
it is economical of both labor and fencing ma¬ 
terial to build the houses upon the continuous- 
pen plan, or on what might be called the semi¬ 
detached house plan. In the one case the at¬ 
tendant is wholly under cover in going from pen 
to pen, and in the other there is some exposure 
in the short distance between the houses; in the 
colony-house plan there is considerable ex¬ 
posure in traveling over the farm, visiting the 
different houses to do the essential work of feed¬ 
ing and watering and collecting the eggs. 

Where foAvls are kept confined in houses and 
yards their bodily wants must be carefully at- 


59 




PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 



Colony Houses for Laying Stock, Lakewood Farm. 


tended to,—and regular supplies of green food, 
animal food, etc., must be given. Where fowls 
are kept on the colony plan and allowed free 
range, they will supply themselves with green 
food; and, in summer time, when worms, in¬ 
sects, etc., are abundant, they will supply them¬ 
selves with considerable animal food. Most of 
the colony-house egg farms which we had the 
pleasure to visit, were established before the 
method of “dry-feeding” had received much 
consideration, and the decided success of the 
dry-feeding method may cause us to revise our 
estimates somewhat. With fowls cared for by 
the dry-feeding method, with food and beef 
scraps constantly accessible, they do not roam 
far and give better all-round results than when 
they are fed twice daily by the attendant, and 
are given a mash food in the morning and hard 
grain at night. This thought is suggested by 
some correspondence which the writer has re¬ 
cently had with some gentlemen of a Missouri 
corporation, relative to the establishing of an 
egg farm in connection with a 3.000 acre fruit 
ranch in that State. Obviously the colony- 
house plan would be the only plan for such a 
combination business, and equally obviously 
the dry-feeding method would decidedly facil¬ 
itate economy of operation, as well as give 
better returns. 

Some of the advantages of continuous-house 
egg farms are the housing and yarding of large 
numbers of birds in a comparatively small 
space—say 400 or 500 birds to the acre—and 
grouping the houses and yards about the farm- 
buildings, there is coupled with this method the 
disadvantages of decided increase in cost of con¬ 
struction,—the expense of building and main¬ 


taining fences, practically doubles the cost of 
construction. Opinions differ as to the economy 
of operating. The more constant attention re¬ 
quired by fowls confined in houses and yards, 
with an average round of six visits per day to 
each pen, (three for the morning, noon and night 
feeding, two for watering and one for collecting 
the eggs), is full)'- balanced if not outweighed, by 
the greater time consumed in going around to 
fifty or one hundred houses set 150 to 200 feet 
apart, two or three times a day by man and 
horse. 

It is important that a plan of operating be 
carefully considered, and the poultry plant con¬ 
structed to facilitate the operating. Many poul¬ 
try plants are just a “happen-so,” having been 
built from time to time as the circumstances and 
inclinations of the owner favored, and not in¬ 
frequently one is found that has become un¬ 
wieldy, has become so top-heavy it is impossible 
to carry it on advantageously. One does not 
need to have elaborate and expensive buildings, 
but the houses for the stock must be dry, free 
from draughts, and so situated that they can 
have the maximum of sunshine in the winter; 
and they should be so planned that the essential 
labor of caring for the flocks is favored as much 
as possible. The conditions that promote the 
best health of the birds must not be sacrificed 
to the “convenience” of the caretaker, how¬ 
ever. and those conditions are absolute dryness 
of the pens, sunshine and fresh air, fresh, clean 
water and an adequate supply of proper food. 
House plans and yard plans are fully treated of 
in Book No. 3 of this series of Practical Poultry 
Books, hence we do not need to consider house 
plans in this book; our interest is the basic 
principles of profitable egg farming. 


60 












PRACTICAL EGG FARMS. 



Breeding House and Yards, Lakewood Farm. 


A GREAT EGG FARM. 

How Two Young Men are Building up a Profit¬ 
able Business. Strictly Fresh Eggs in 
Demand. 

It is very interesting to visit a large poultry 
plant soon after it has got under way, and, in¬ 
deed, while it is still in process of construction, 
and such was my pleasure a few weeks ago when 
I visited Lakewood Poultry Farm, Burrsville, 
N. J. Lakewood is widely celebrated for its 
mild winter climate, and its attractiveness as a 
winter resort is well known. Situated on the 
eastern-central shore of New Jersey, but a few 
miles back from the coast, Lakewood air is dry 
and warm for such a northern latitude, and that 
section of the State is much resorted to by peo¬ 
ple with delicate throats and a tendency to 
lung troubles. It was an affliction of this kind 
that brought Mr. A. S. Brown to Lakewood, and 
the region so strongly attracted him that he 
bought a farm of about 90 acres at Burrsville, 
situated on the State road, four or five miles 
from Lakewood and about half way between 
that town and the ocean. Here the Lakewood 
Poultry Farm was established and a young 
friend, Mr. Ammidown, was taken into partner¬ 
ship. 

The proprietors of Lakewood Poultry Farm 
are working partners, as is evidenced by the fact 
that Mr. Brown was pointed out to me at work 
down in the field, where I found him putting in 
the foundation of a new colony poultry house, 
and shortly afterwards we found Mr. Ammidown 


feeding the chickens in the long brooder house. 

The introductions and greetings over, Mr. 
Brown began right where we were standing by 
telling us something of the methods of erecting 
poultry houses there on the south Jersey sandy 
land. The method is simply to set posts in the 
ground below the possible frost line, the tops 
being cut off a foot above the ground level, 
hemlock boards are nailed to the foundation 
posts and the ground filled in to the level of the 
sills by simply shoveling the sandy soil into the 
inclosed space; with land consisting almost 
wholly of sand, there is no trouble about the 
drainage, water sinks into it immediately, and 
it carries with it the wash from the droppings, 
so that with reasonable care the soil does not 
become poisoned by the accumulated droppings. 

The farm consists of about ninety acres of 
land, one-half of which is still in the native 
woods; and most of the cleared land is set in 
fruit trees. At the time of our visit they were 
keeping about 2,500 head of laying fowls, White 
Wyandottes and Single Comb White Leghorns, 
and buildings being erected were planned to 
increase the capacity to about double the 
number,—it is the intention to carry about 
5,000 head of laying stock each winter. The 
business began with supplying strictly fresh 
eggs to a select city trade, and has grown to in¬ 
clude the furnishing of strictly fresh, unfertil¬ 
ized eggs to hospitals and other public institu¬ 
tions. The trade, originally in New York City, 
has been extended to the city of Newark, and 


61 













PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 



Brooder House and Yards, Lakewood Farm. 


calls from the numerous hotels in Lakewood 
and other cities receive attention as the supply 
of eggs permits. As Mr. Brown expresses it, 
there is no trouble whatever in finding a market, 
the only difficulty is to get eggs enough to supply 
the demand already in sight! 

This farm embodies both the colony-house 
plan and the continuous-house plan. Across 
the road from the dwelling is a group of twelve 
colony houses, set about 150 feet apart, in which 


were some 600 head of White Leghorns ranging 
at will over the adjoining territory; a 6-foot 
woven wire fence encloses the whole tract and 
serves to confine the roaming birds, and also 
protects them against the depredations of four- 
footed enemies. Those colony houses are differ¬ 
ent from most, in that they are set up from the 
ground about three feet, the space beneath 
being an open-front scratching shed. The 
roosting apartment above is 8 x 12 feet in size, 
has two half-sash windows in the 
front, and furnishes a comfortable 
home for fifty birds, with the scratch- 
ing-shed basement and the liberty to 
range outside. An objection to the 
low, basement-scratching-shed would 
be that the birds would lay some eggs 
in there, and it would be vexatious to 
creep into such # low space to secure 
the eggs; Mr. Brown said that they 
had not found this a serious objection, 
but as they had banks of nests in the 
open basement as well as in the roost¬ 
ing room above, almost all of the eggs 
were gathered from the nests. Other 
colony houses are scattered through 
the woods east of the farm buildings, 
and these were used for carrying the 
surplus males and surplus stock general¬ 
ly through the winter, and in sum¬ 
mer the birds selected for future breed¬ 
ers will be colonized in them while 
the yards of the regular breeding houses 
are being seeded down. Four long 
houses, each 128 x 16 feet, were occu¬ 
pied by laying-breeding stock, and 
others were being built at the time 
of oui visit. These long houses are 



















PRACTICAL EGG FARMS. 



Interior of Brooder House, Lakewood Farm. 


divided into pens 16 x 16 ft., each pen having 
a door opening into it at the back, the 
front being made up of three windows which 
slide.—the right and left hand sash sliding the 
one in front of and the other behind the center 
one, making the pen two-thircls open-front. 
An enclosed roosting apartment is made after 
the plan of the Maine Agricultural Experiment 
Station curtained-front house. This roosting 
apartment is two and a half feet above the floor, 
and has a solid matched board floor 3 feet wide 
by 13 feet long, and a solid matched partition 
at the end next the door in rear of pen,—the 
solid matched board partition between the pens 
makes the other end. A curtain attached to a 
swinging frame is hinged to the roof, swinging 
out and up, and is hooked up out of the way 
when not in use. It is only necessary to close 
this curtain in front of the roosting pen on the 
very coldest nights of winter,—for ordinary 
weather the closing of the sliding-sash-front is 
sufficient. 

The yards in front of these pens are 90 feet 
long by 16 feet wide and have a scratching pen 
8 feet in depth by 16 feet of width of the yard, 
at the far end, and into the litter in these scratch¬ 
ing pens, all the grain food is thrown when the 
birds can be fed out of doors. In addition to 
these long laying-houses there are three breed¬ 


ing houses 128 feet long, built upon the well- 
known Cyphers plan, of scratching pen in front 
of the laying-roosting pen, and the yards of 
these houses also have the scratching pen at the 
south end. 

A commodious grain-cook house furnishes 
store room for foods and work room as well, and 
the basement is a light and well ventilated in¬ 
cubator cellar, occupied by nine 360-egg Cyphers 
incubators, which were running at their full 
capacity. On the other side of the farm build¬ 
ings is a 110 feet long hot water pipe brooder 
house built on the Cyphers plan, with electric 
regulator, and the thousand or so baby chicks 
were enjoying a ration of Cyphers Chick Food 
as we looked them over. The houses all have 
sand floors, and when we asked Mr. Brown if 
they were bothered by rats, he laughingly said, 
“ No, we drove them all away to the neighbors!” 
AVe were surprised to learn that ’possums had 
bothered them some, but vigorous hunting 
cured that affliction. It is interesting to know 
that not one bird had died from disease there 
in the past year. This speaks volumes for the 
healthfulness of the stock, or the healthfulness 
of the sandy soil there, or the correct methods 
employed; more probably, however, of a com¬ 
bination of the three. To lose not one bird 
by disease in a total of 2,500 carried through 


63 











PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 



Feed and Cook House, Lakewood Farm. 


the winter is certainly remarkable. The eggs 
are shipped every day excepting Sunday, and 
the eggs of yesterday are being used by their 
customers today; from three to five cases being 
the daily shipment. 

In addition to their fancy “strictly fresh” 
egg trade they are raising summer broilers for 
the near-by sea-shore trade, and this line of 
work promises to be decidedly profitable. Here 
is a most promising poultry business already 
developed, and with the addition of the selling 
of eggs for hatching and breeding stock of their 
two popular varieties there is a brilliant future 
in store for Lakewood Poultry Farm. 

A NEW ENGLAND EGG FARM. 

Specializing Poultry Work; 1,500 Rhode Island 

Reds Bred for Business and Thoroughbred 
Excellence. 

This is an age of specializing and we are 
rapidly becoming a nation of specialists. 
Whether a man is in a profession, trade, or other 
field of endeavor he must choose some specialty 
and work that for all there is in it, if he would 


reap a harvest of golden shekels. This is par¬ 
ticularly true of poultry work, and we find our 
most successful poultrymen of today are 
specialists. True we may, and often do, find 
them combining two or more branches of the 
work, but they are none the less specialists for 
all that. Life is too short for any one man to 
learn all there is to know about all branches of 
poultry keeping, and if he desires to make a 
success he must apply all his energies to master¬ 
ing the particular branch or branches, which 
most appeal to him. If he does this success is 
assured, and in no other field of labor are more 
satisfactory profits obtainable for intelligent 
work. 

In looking over the field of opportunities in 
the various branches of poultry culture, one 
cannot help noting the importance of the pro¬ 
duction and marketing of strictly fresh, new- 
laid eggs and it seems strange that this particu¬ 
lar field is comparatively unworked in propor¬ 
tion to its importance. Egg farming is today 
perhaps one of the best specialties in practical 
poultry keeping, in which large profits and quick 


64 

















PRACTICAL EGG FARMS 



Breeding-Laying Houses, Harris Egg Farm, Mansfield, Mass. 


returns are readily obtainable by those who are 
quick-witted enough to grasp the opportunity 
offered. 

Strictly fresh eggs are always in demand and 
always salable at a fair price. So soon as the 
market discovers the reputable egg farm special¬ 
ist, and he establishes his reputation for supply¬ 
ing goods that are strictly first quality, his 
chief concern thereafter will be to produce eggs 
in sufficient quantity to meet the demand and 
to avoid disappointing his customers. The 
first quality product, that is dependable and 
always as represented, will never go begging 
for a customer,—it practically sells itself. 

If one wishes to make a study of poultry 
specialties let him make a trip within a radius 
of thirty miles of Boston, Mass., and visit the 
many poultry experts in that section of the 
country. Boston market is well known, the 
nation over, as the most fastidious market in 
the world, for poultry and eggs, and while all 
sorts and conditions of poultry products may 
be found on sale, its special family trade is 
almost super-critical and demands the ultra 
fancy product in both eggs and poultry meat. 
So great is the demand for fancy quality 
poultry products, that in spite of the large 
number of specialists catering to this market, one 
seldom, if ever, is able to find the very best 
poultry produce displayed in the market stalls; 
it is practically sold, (engaged by the consumer) 
before it reaches the hands of the dealer. 


On a recent visit to New England the writer 
had a pleasant visit at the egg farm of W. S. 
Harris at Mansfield, Mass. Here we found 
Rhode Island Reds in exclusive possession of 
the farm, with the exception of a few buildings 
and flies devoted to Homer pigeons, of which 
some fine specimens were seen. After an all¬ 
round experience in poultry work, Air. Harris 
is now devoting himself to egg farming and 
Rhode Island Reds as a specialty. At the time 
of our visit, there were about 1,500 layers and 
some 1,500 or more small chicks, all Reds, on the 
farm. The buildings on the plant cover about 
20,000 square feet of ground. In the illustra¬ 
tions we show some of the poultry buildings, 
the laying and breeding stock, and some of the 
promising youngsters. Most of Mr. Harris' 
hatching is done in incubators and the chicks 
are raised in brooders. The chicks are fed 
exclusively on a dry-grain chick food. 

We leave it to Mr. Harris to tell in his own 
words his incubator experiences, quoting from 
a letter received from him in May, 1903: 

“ Plenty of straw for litter in winter and liberal 
grass range in summer, with a variety of whole¬ 
some food for hens, means a high percent fertil¬ 
ity. Proper exercise and food are essential. 

“To get the best results, eggs must be from 
properly kept breeders; the incubator will do 
the rest, provided it is built on the correct prin¬ 
ciple. So far, I much prefer the Cyphers Incu¬ 
bators, having hatched as high as 95 percent. 


3 


65 









PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 



Breeding-Laying Houses, Harris Egg Farm, Mansfield, Mass, 


The inside porous top which admits warmed air 
into the egg chamber at all times, requiring no 
moisture, is no doubt the correct principle. 
The system of turning the eggs is the simplest 
and best. The regulator is perfection. 

“ I have tried, side by side, the Cyphers with 
several different makes of incubators, with eggs 
from the same flock and other conditions being 
the same. The Cyphers always hatches the 
greater percentage with less variation in tem¬ 
perature, while other makes of incubators would 
addle a good many eggs. 

“A metal inside top is, according to my ex¬ 
perience, a bad defect. The side by side test 
with other machines has cost me about $400.00. 
I have disposed of all other makes and will 
replace with Cyphers’ incubators. I like the 
Cyphers brooders too. 


“ I have always been highly successful in the 
show room. Mv Boston record for 1903 is the 
best of any one breeder of Rhode Island Reds. 
I cannot see any difference between a hen- 
hatched and a Cyphers hatched chicken in the 
show room, or out. As to feeding chickens, 
there seems to be no rule. The idea is to feed 
a balanced ration. I, having so much faith in 
the Cyphers people, thought I would give their 
Chick Food and Beef Scrap a test, and ordered 
several hundred bags. The Chick Food is an 
honest food and their scraps the best I ever 
saw. I find this method the easiest and quick¬ 
est way of feeding, with the best of results. 

“ I have always been suspicious of these so- 
called balanced-ration foods, as you cannot tell 
what the mixture is, while in the Cyphers Chick 
Food you can see the different grains, they being 
sweet and wholesome. 


66 














PRACTICAL EGG FARMS. 


“ I advise following the directions just as they 
are given by the Cyphers Incubator Company. 
Chickens that are confined in small quarters 
must have plenty of cut straw to scratch in for 
exercise, or off their feet they will go. Green 
stuff in some form must be given every day, 
keep cracked charcoal before them as well as 
cracked oyster shells and plenty of water. 
Shade is very necessary.” 

Mr. Harris began raising chickens for market, 
producing fall and winter chickens. He has 
marketed as high as 5,000 fall chickens in a sea¬ 
son, and always had the reputation of producing 
a thoroughly good article, which commanded 
top prices. As an instance of what he has done, 
we cite the case of ninety-six chickens returning 
to him the sum of $200.32 net, above the ex¬ 
pense of picking, expressage and commissions. 
This was received in the latter part of the month 
of May, and was not extraordinarily high priced, 
and is simply one instance of many which could 
be quoted. 

He now makes a specialty of furnishing eggs 
for hatching as well as breeding stock, and 
shipping fresh eggs to special trade in Boston 
market. When asked how many eggs hens 
would average to lay in a year, he thought that 
150 eggs per hen would be a fair average. Some 
hens would lay 200. They are kept in flocks of 
from twenty-five to thirty-five each, according 
to the size of the pens. While Mr. Harris be¬ 
lieves that ten scpiare feet of floor space is the 
proper amount for each hen, yet he seldom 
practices what he preaches in this respect, for 
almost always his fowls have less room. 

His buildings nearly all have closed fronts, 
and are a variety of shapes, showing the growth 
of the owner’s convictions with regard to utility. 
Several of the buildings have slanting fronts, but 
Mr. Harris very positively affirms that no more 
buildings with slanting sides will be* built on his 
place. The latest type has a nearly flat roof, 
there being no more than two or three inches 
drop from the front to the rear. The roofs are 
covered with two-ply tar-paper and the sides 
with one or two-ply. These are washed with 
hot coal-tar and given a generous sprinkling of 
fine sand or gravel. 

The hens are given rye straw as a scratching 
material, and are fed soft food of one-half bran 
and one-half meal, with about ten per cent, in 
bulk of the best beef scrap added. This is 
mixed with hot water in cold weather and with 
cold water in warm weather. They have as a 


hard food, two-thirds cracked corn and one- 
third wheat, with an occasional feed of Kaffir 
corn and buckwheat. Some ground oats are 
used, but very few whole oats are fed. 

The example which Mr. Harris presents is 
that of a man who begins with a few birds and 
with little or no experience, and who, by close 
application to the business, and by the use of 
brains and energy, has built up one of the 
biggest egg farms of New England, with a prod¬ 
uct which meets with the highest cash prices. 

ANOTHER NEW ENGLAND EGG FARM. 

That Illustrates What can be Done in This 
Practical Branch of Poultry Keeping. 

Strictly Fresh Eggs Always and Everywhere in 

Demand. 

One very strange fact discovered upon looking 
over the field of opportunity in the various 
branches of poultry culture, is the neglect which 
has covered up the importance of the production 
and marketing of strictly fresh, new-laid eggs. 
This today is perhaps the best and most profit¬ 
able end of practical poultry keeping. This 
field as yet is comparatively unworked and the 
demand far exceeds the supply, and the few who 
have been far seeing and quick-witted enough 
to grapple the opportunity thus offered them 
are reaping large profits. 

There is today, in New England especially, 
and in all large settlements throughout the 
whole country, a cash demand for newly laid 
eggs which it is impossible to supply with the 
stock at hand. In support of these statements 
we offer the experience of Mr. Wm. P. Eddy, of 
Dighton, Mass., who speaks by the book and 
who has ample knowledge of this subject, both 
practical and theoretic. 

From Strawberries to Poultry. 

Mr. Eddy is a thorough business man who 
has traveled extensively for various fertilizer 
concerns, and who has had the opportunity to 
discover the best paying part of the poultry 
business in this section of the country. Mr. 
Eddy was formerly the largest producer of 
strawberries in the town of Dighton, but various 
changes in the methods of growing and shipping 
berries having caused some uncertainty about 
this crop, Mr. Eddy decided to try poultry 
keeping and egg marketing on a larger scale 
than he had heretofore. 

67 


/ 



PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


He expects to winter a stock of twelve hun¬ 
dred hens. He sells the eggs to private families, 
club houses and high class hotels in Boston. 
Many private families take cases of from fifteen 
to twenty dozen each, dividing them with their 
friends and paying Mr. Eddy his own price, 
which, he says, is never questioned, and which 
is in excess of the regular retail price. Today, 
October 13, he received 38 cents per dozen in 
these wholesale quantities. He has found it 
impossible to supply the trade which awaits 
him, and another season will add largely to his 
plant. 

Mr. Eddy keeps the Rhode Island Reds, which 
he has found quite satisfactory in egg produc¬ 
tion with this exception, the pullets lay a rather 
undersized egg. The hens do better in this 
respect and the eggs are reasonably large. He 
has this season a flock of White Wyandotte 
birds which he will give a fair trial, and should 
they prove to be better layers and a more prac¬ 
tical fowl than the Rhode Island Reds he will 
stock his entire plant with Wyandottes. He 
thinks them unquestionably the best all-round 
fowl, but is not quite sure if in egg production 
they will prove to be the best. The Rhode 
Island Reds.mature quickly, and he prefers the 
rose to the single comb. 

He is very particular about the laying equali¬ 
ties of the hens from whose eggs the cockerels 
are hatched, taking special pains to select the 
eggs from the best laying hens. In breeding 
to renew the laying stock, yearling hens are 
mated with cockerels, and well-matured pullets 
with cock birds. While he has no objection to 
breeding from well-matured young stock of both 
sexes he thinks the average results are better 
when the previous matings are used. In 
making these matings only the vigorous and 
prolific birds are used, 

TwojThousand Birds and Rations. 

The chickens are fed a soft food, one-half of 
the best bran and one-half Indian meal, with 
beef scrap worked gradually up to the propor¬ 
tion of 10 per cent, when the chicks are a few 
weeks old. They have also oatmeal, boiled 
rice, cracked corn and a variety of hard grain 
foods, and are allowed a grass range. While 
confined in large yards this range is practically 
free, as few enough are kept in a pen to allow a 
constant supply of grass to grow. The young 
cockerels are killed at the proper broiler and 
roaster age and are served to the guests of the 


Eddy House, a summer hotel which is kept by 
Mr. Eddy. The laying stock is fed a soft food 
with beef scrap, together with a considerable 
proportion of wheat and an abundance of clover, 
cabbage and other green foods. While some 
vegetables like potatoes, turnips, etc., are 
boiled and fed with the mash, Mr. Eddy has 
never been able to get satisfactory results on 
other than the stoutest kinel of feeding. He 
therefore disapproves of too many vegetables 
in the mash, reserving this sort of food for a 
side dish. 

Mr. Eddy raises about two thousand chickens 
each year and renews his laying stock from the 
pullets thus obtained. He is very particular in 
introducing new blood that the birds shall come 
from the most prolific and best laying flocks 
which he can find, and no chances of a back¬ 
ward step are taken. He is very decidedly of 
the opinion that there is nothing that can be 
raised on a farm which will compare in value 
with eggs as an all-year-round crop. To use 
his own words, “ Eggs are as good as gold dollars, 
and it is one of the most surprising things in the 
world to me that so little attention is paid to 
their production by farmers.” 

—Reliable Poultry Journal. 

TWO NEW ENGLAND EGG FARMS. 

An Egg-Farm Poultry House.—Seventeen Hun¬ 
dred Laying Hens Under One Roof. 

One of the largest poultry houses of 
which we have knowledge is the long 
house (or series of connected houses) 
on the poultry farm of G. F. Hosmer, 
Montvale, Woburn, Mass.; this house being 408 
feet long and accommodating seventeen hun¬ 
dred head of laying stock. It is as simple as 
possible in construction, consisting of roof and 
walls only, and having only wire netting par¬ 
titions between the pens. The house is 18 
feet wide and divided into 34 pens 12 x 18 feet 
each, and fifty head of Barred Plymouth Rock 
pullets or hens are housed in each pen. There 
is no alleyway (or walk), the attendant passing 
through the gates in the front end of the parti¬ 
tions between the pens from one end of the 
house to the other. At half a dozen convenient 
points are doors in the back side of the house, 
giving admission to the house from the drive¬ 
way along the rear; for convenience in moving 
stock in or out, cleaning the droppings from the 
roost platform, carrying in scratching litter, 


68 



' r ^~ 


PRACTICAL EGG FARMS. 



The Long Poultry House on the Farm of G. F. Hosmer, Woburn, Mass. 


etc. This long house crowns a low ridge, and 
the ground sloping gently away from it on both 
sides there is perfect drainage; as there is also 
a gentle slope to the west the house drops down 
in successive steps so that the west end is some 
five or six feet lower than the east end. There 
being but two solid partitions with doors in this 
great length of house,there is liability to draughts, 
and in Avinter there would be several degrees 
difference in temperature between the lower 
and higher pens; such a house should be divided 
into sections of two (or at most three) pens to 
a\-oid draughts and unequal temperature. 
There are long yards for each pair of pens, ex¬ 
tending across the tiny valley into the trees 
and shrubbery on the adjoining ridge, and a 
sliding window in front of each pen gives light 
and air. The second story over the first three 
pens is finished off into sleeping rooms for the 
farm workmen. 

Mr. Hosmer began keeping poultry some 
years ago, while engaged in business in Boston. 
Finding the poultry department of his farm 
quite profitable he increased his buildings and 
laying stock, until a year or more ago he found 
it necessary to give up his Boston connection 
and gme his entire time to superintending the 
poultry work. 

He is Avintering this year about thirty-six 
hundred head of laying stock; the buildings in 
Avhich the large flocks are housed being located 
in three different fields, the original plant being 
close by the home buildings; two more recent 
buildings being perhaps a quarter of a mile 
distant, and about the same distance from each 
other. The buildings are all upon the closed 


pen plan, the pens being 18 x 12 feet each, and 
from forty to fifty birds are housed in each pen. 
In ansAver to our inquiry he told us the birds 
were laying less Avell this year than formerly; but 
he did not feel that he had any right to com¬ 
plain. He could make his hens pay him a 
profit of $1.00 per head and better, after paying 
the labor and feed bills, the interest and taxes. 
In going through the pens Ave noticed quite a 
good many birds that evidently Avere not laying, 
and such would undoubtedly pull down the 
average yearly profit. 

Mr. Hosmer hatches almost wholly by hens; 
has gotten out six thousand to seA r en thousand 
chickens a year by that method. Last year 
he hatched eighty-seven hundred, and this year 
intends to get out in the vicinity of ten thousand; 
some two-thirds of these will go to market. 
Mr. Hosmer has no yards to his pens excepting 
that an acre or two of land is fenced in for eight 
or ten pens, all of the birds being allowed access 
to the enclosure, sorting themselves out as they 
come back into the house. Much of the laying 
stock is a cross of Light Brahma male on Brown 
Leghorn females, the pullets being fine bodied 
birds and great layers. 

Noticing a nearly new and quite large manure 
shed, fitted with platforms on which to spreael 
the manure for drying, Ave inquired the condi¬ 
tion of the manure market, and were informed 
that it Avas declining. A feAV years ago he 
could sell all the manure he could make to 
tanners, at good prices; but recently tanners 
were substituting other material, and tanning 
by other processes, so that the demand for 
poultry manure for that purpose is growing 


69 

















PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


beautifully less. We doubt whether this is to 
be regretted. The tanners demand that poultry 
manure shall be wholly free from foreign matter, 
such as land plaster, fine-sifted coal ashes or 
loam, and that means that the roost platforms 
have no absorbent spread on them. As a con¬ 
sequence they become sodden with the urine, 
and give off a poisonous odor which is certainly 
injurious. Another point is that poultry man¬ 
ure is such an excellent fertilizer it seems a pity 
to have it wasted in tanning. 

Another Profitable Egg Farm. 

A drive of a few minutes brought us to Mr. 
Prescott’s well-known egg farm. Mr. Prescott 
keeps about two thousand head of Barred Ply¬ 
mouth Rocks, his houses each have ten pens, 
10 x 28 feet each on the main floor, and below 
that they have access to two large basements, 
28 x 100 feet, opening out into an enclosure of 
an acre or thereabouts. 

Mr. Prescott’s house is a capital example of 
adapting means to ends, as the land is a steep- 
sloping, very rocky hillside, and the house is 
built around the south and southeast side of 
the hill, in somewhat the shape of a man’s arm 
with the elbow bent at an angle of about twenty 
degrees. The house is two stories and an attic 
on the clown-hill side, one story and an attic on 
the back. The main floor of each wing is 
divided into ten pens 10 x 28 feet each, and yet is 
not divided, because the pens all open into each 
other, and all the birds in each wing run together. 
When they come up from the basement or in 
from the yards to the roost pens, they fill up the 
roosting space in one pen, then go on to find 
quarters in the next, and so on until all are full. 
Mr. Prescott took a small bucket of grain and 
led the way to the basement under the west 
wing, which in a few minutes was fairly swarm¬ 
ing with a thousand head of Plymouth Rocks, 
in one room 28 x 100 feet in size. We think 
that is the largest single flock of fowls we ever 
saw, and fine Plymouth Rock pullets they are 
too. A few of them, it is true, had not reached 
laying maturity, and they, too, would pull 
down the general average profit of a flock. 

Mr. Prescott hatches his chickens wholly bv 
hens, having five hundred sitting nests, in banks 
of nests arranged in tiers, four hundred of these 
nests being in the attic space under the double 
pitch roof, the other one hundred being above 
the brooder pipes at the back of the brooder 
house. 


The central building of the plant is the cook¬ 
ing and grain house, with the owner’s dwelling 
above. The cooking is by steam in oblong 
jacket kettles, designed by Mr. Prescott for his 
special purpose. He is experimenting this 
year with feeding the cooked ration at night, 
with good results, quite a part of that cooked 
ration being whole grain. 

For meat food he buys sheep’s plucks, and 
cooks them into a soup which is mixed into the 
cooked food ration. We cannot do better than 
quote the description of the steam kettles and 
cooking from our May 1st, ’96, article: 

In the cooking room was a Mann bone cutter 
being run by windmill power, Mr. Prescott 
telling us he cut up about one hundred and 
fifty pounds of fresh bone a week. This is not 
all of the animal food his fowls get, however, as 
he buys “plucks” and at times, fish, which he 
cooks in his steam jacket kettles, adding cracked 
corn and wheat to absorb the moisture and 
cook in the surplus heat after the “ plucks, ” etc., 
are cooked and the steam turned off. 

Those steam jacket kettles merit a special 
mention, as they are of Mr. Prescott’s own 
designing, and are really “ troughs ” about five 
feet long, eighteen inches wide, and a foot deep. 
He had them made in this shape the better to 
cook the contents all through equally. One of 
those kettles will cook enough for a mash feed 
for two thousand hens, but Mr. Prescott does 
not believe in feeding much mash. He said 
he had found it very easy to overfeed it—“ and 
then look out for roup and other diseases. 
You get the fowls congested, engorged, and 
then they are a prey to disease.” Mr. Prescott 
gets one hundred and forty to one hundred 
and fifty eggs a year from his birds, and hatches 
about ten thousand chickens; a part of these, 
however, he sells, when just hatched, there be¬ 
ing quite a call for young chicks. 

The breeding stock, mostly Barred P. Rocks, 
we found in the original houses, where the first 
start was made. He keeps about twenty birds 
in a pen, and lets three pens, each having a 
rooster, run together, the gates between being 
all open, and one large yard in common. We 
asked him if one male didn’t sometimes inter¬ 
fere with another, and he said, “No, not to 
do any harm; his eggs were then running over 
ninety per cent, fertile.” Mr. Prescott renews 
about half of his laying stock each year, winter¬ 
ing about half pullets and half year-old hens, 
and that he can get so goodly an egg yield from 


70 


PRACTICAL EGG FARMS. 



Laying House 250 Feet Long, White Leghorn Poultry Yards. 


birds running together in that fashion, was 
certainly a surprise. “It isn’t according to 
your teaching,” said Mr. Prescott, “and your 
teaching is right. It takes eternal vigilance to 
crowd birds as we do and keep them'laying, and 
if you should advise people to let five hundred 
or six hundred birds all run together, they’d 
very soon come to grief. Your teaching of 
small flocks kept separate is right." We had 
to laugh at his not practicing what he preached. 
“That’s all right, too,” said he. “We have to 
adapt ourselves to circumstances, and this 
plant and our methods are the result of our 
circumstances.” 

Certainly the success which Mr. Prescott has 
wrought out there is worthy of emulation; he 
has proved that there is money for him in the 
poultry business. 

Farm Poultry. 

THE WHITE LEGHORN POULTRY YARDS 

One of the Largest and Best Equipped Poultry 

Farms in the World. The Fancy Side of 
the Business Given Due Prominence.— 

A Poultry Plant of 5,000 Head 
Capacity. 

The great majority of the successful poultry 
plants today began small and simply grew as 
circumstances and the experience of the owner 
warranted, until they attained a capacity of 
1,000 or more head of layers annually. Within 
the last few years, however, poultry farms have 
been established with the intention of making 
them great practical-fancy poultry plants. A 
large farm is bought and buildings planned for 
with the one purpose of building up a great 
poultry plant. 


One such, the Lakewood Poultry Farm, is 
described in this chapter, and another which 
has already attained a notable success and is 
ranked among the foremost poidtry farms in 
America, is the White Leghorn Poultry Plant, 
situated at Waterville, N. Y. Here is what 
may be claimed to be one of the most completely 
equipped, practical and up-to-date poultry 
plants; a poultry plant that in many respects 
might be considered a model. 

The proprietor of the White Leghorn Poultry 
Plant, Mr. C. J. Brainard, found it desirable, 
after completing his college course, to take up 
an occupation which would keep him out of 
doors a good part of the time, to re-establish 
his somewhat broken health. Being inter¬ 
ested in poultry, he investigated that subject 
quite thoroughly with a view to satisfying 
himself whether poultry raising on a large scale 
could be made a profitable business venture. 
There have been many failures in the poultry 
business, perhaps it would be more correct to 
say, that many have failed of the highest success 
in the poultry business than to say there have 
been absolute failures; at any rate, when Mr. 
Brainard had investigated many causes of 
failure of success, he decided that they were 
due to lack of experience and lack of capital; 
as well as lack of proper business methods,—it 
could very well be expressed in the homely 
phrase, “They bit off more than they could 
chew! ” 

As Mr. Brainard did not want to personally 
attend to the details of the business, he em¬ 
ployed a practical poultryman, Mr. H. S. 
Roach, who w r as formerly engaged in poultry 
work at the Cornell University Experiment 


71 















PROFITABLE EGG FARMING 




eggs 


Station, and Mr. Koach was instructed 
to plan for and build a plant for about 
2,000 head of layers, with incubator 
and brooder equipment for chicks to 
keep up the stock to the required num¬ 
ber. This was about four years ago, 
and instead of stopping at the 2,000 
goal the plant has grown until it has 
reached a capacity of about 5,000 head 
of layers, and the incubator and 
brooder department is adequate to the 
supplying of that number of layers and 
additional breeding stock. 

The commercial side of the busi¬ 
ness was looked upon as the founda¬ 
tion upon which to build, and the 
furnishing of fancy, “ strictly-fresh ” 
for a select trade in New York City was 
developed. The eggs are packed in paste¬ 
board boxes holding one dozen each, and these 
boxes of eggs are packed in regular shipping 
cases, the size of the cases, being adapted -to 
the quantity shipped to each customer; these 
wooden cases are of course returned. A regu¬ 
lar trade was established and satisfactory prices 
agreed upon; the price from Sept. 1 to March 
31 (inclusive) being 30 cents per dozen, and 
from April 1 to August 31 (inclusive) 20 cents 
per dozen, this price being net at the station at 
Waterville, the customer paying charges. The 
great demand for a choice article of “ new laid ” 
eggs was a potent factor in continuing the 
development of the White Leghorn Poultry 
Farm. With a practically unlimited demand 
for these fancy, fresh eggs it was good business 
policy to increase the supply to meet the 
demand. 


Interior View of Long Poultry House, Looiiirg Towards the Hall, 
Showing Roosts and Nests. 


The development, of what is called the fancy 
side of the business has kept equal pace with the 
growth of the utility side. Starting with the 
very best stock that could be found, and mating 
with a view to producing choice exhibition 
stock, a great success was attained almost im¬ 
mediately. 

The goodly percentage of premiums won at 
shows and fairs, backed up by judicious adver¬ 
tising and a perfectly equipped correspondence 
department, developed a very great trade in 
breeding stock and eggs for hatching. This 
business department of the farm was put in 
charge of an experienced business man, who is 
at. the same time a well equipped poultryman, 
hence fully competent for the work; and this 
department employs an office force of clerks 
and stenographers, varying of course as the 
increase or decrease of the trade demands. Air. 
Brainard firmly believes that the business end 
of such a plant should be conducted just as any 
other commercial business is. Every 
letter is attended to on the day it is 
received and instructions are that every 
letter must have a courteous reply, no 
matter what the nature of the com¬ 
munication may be. Every correspond¬ 
ent is given a card-catalogue record, and 
there is a complete “ follow up ” system, 
assuring that, every attention is given 
to everv would-be customer. 


Interior View of Long House, White Leghorn Poultry Yards. 


Artificial Hatching and Brooding. 

All the stock is hached in incuba¬ 
tors and brooded by an up-to-date 
brooder system. The incubator cellar 
is 12 x 30 feet in size, 7 ft. high to the 
ceiling, two-thirds of the wall being 


72 






























PRACTICAL EGG FARMS. 


of brick and the other third wood; the wooden 
wall and ceiling are covered with asbestos paper. 
The floor is of cement; twelve 360-egg Cyphers 
Incubators are operated. 

There are three hot-water-pipe brooder 
houses, two 125 ft. long each and the other 110 
ft. long,—these brooder houses are 16 ft. wide 
with a four foot walk at the back, hover pens 
are 3 x 12 ft. nearest the heater and increase to 
four feet in width for larger chicks, giving in all 
93 brooding pens. With colony and other 
houses for weaned chicks the plant has a capac¬ 
ity for about 10,000 head of young, but it is 
not wise to crowd to the limit, and 7,000 or 
S.000 head are as many as it is intended to hatch 
and raise there. Last year about 6,000 chicks 
were raised to market size or maturity, 
and it is interesting to note that a careful record 
of the hatches and the number of chicks raised 
has determined that it is safe to estimate to 
raise 40 chicks for every 100 eggs set. This is 
better than a good man} 7 poultrymen average, 
but Ave should keep in mind that the stock here 
is White Leghorn, eggs of which almost always 
hatch well, and that the hatching is in the 
normal breeding season when losses are feAv. 

There are eight laying houses with a total 
length of about 1,000 ft., and one laying house 
250 feet in length. The first houses built Avere 
12 x 50 feet, divided into tAA'o pens of 12 x 25 
ft., and in each pen Avas put a flock of 50 layers. 
The houses built later were divided into small 
pens for 25 birds each,—the plan folloAA’ed being 
Avhat is called a house Avithin a house. The 
outer Avails are sheathed, papered and covered 
Avith clap-boards. A feed room 10 x 12 ft. is 
constructed in one end of each house, and a Avalk 
3 ft. Avide continues the entire length of the 
building. A tight-board partition separates 
the pens from the Avalk, the pens are ceiled OA-er 
head and the front AA r all is ceiled up inside; 
thus there is an air space entirely surrounding 
the pens. A A'entilating trap opens into the 
loft from the center of each pen, and in the loft 
is stored scratching material, etc., for use as 
needed. Each pen has a door opening into the 
walk and there is also a door in each partition 
between the pens. These enclosed pens for 
housing the laying-breeding stock haA 7 e been 
found eminently satisfactory; they are suffi¬ 
ciently warm to protect White Leghorn combs 
from freezing. The plan is an excellent one and 
the health of the birds perfect. 


A slightly different plan is adopted for the 
250 ft. long house; in this there is a feed room 
in the middle as Avell as at each end. To provide 
for getting in scratching litter, etc., in the loft 
aboA 7 e the pens, doors like dormer windoAvs are 
built at intervals in the roof. 

It is gratifying to know that in breeding, the 
utility quality of the stock has been kept Avell 
to the front, the first object being good size, 
great laying quality, and great strength and 
A r igor; coupled with these points every atten¬ 
tion has been paid to standard requirements as 
to shape, carriage, etc. Taa'o lines of breeding 
stock is kept, one of exhibition matings in 
which 10 to 12 females are made into a breed¬ 
ing pen with a choice, selected male at the head; 
and these pens not only contain the cream of 
their OAvn flock, but choice birds are purchased 
AA'herever they can be found AA'hen it is thought 
that such will gme strength to the matings. 
In the ordinary matings about 25 hens or fully 
matured pullets are put in a pen and tA\ _ o strong, 
vigorous males provided. One male is given 
the run of the pen Avhile the other is resting in 
a roomy coop provided for the purpose, and the 
males are alternated, each gh 7 en a day of duty 
followed by a day of rest. 

It is very gratifying to visit such a great 
poultry establishment and see a business con¬ 
ducted in such a thorough, business-like way. 
It is such thoroughly up-to-date poultry plants 
as this that demonstrate what a solid, enduring 
foundation underlies the poultry business, and 
ranks it a truly great industry. 


PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 

A Great Poultry Farm and a Remarkable Suc¬ 
cessful Poultry Business—Story of the Van 
Dreser Egg Farm, Cobleskill, 

New York. 

“The Twelve Hundred Hen House"—Interior 
Construction—Use of the Individual 
Brooder Houses—Caring for 
and Feeding the Chicks. 

The story of the growth of a highly successful 
poultry business, or indeed any great business, 
almost always reads like a romance, and has 
fascinating elements that most powerfully 
attract the reader. The latest aspirant for 
popular faA r or is no exception to this rule, even 
though poultry was not in this case, as in many 
others, the lever by which “the mortgage” 
Avas lifted. That dread incubus had been suc- 


73 



PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


cessfully disposed of by years of profitable 
thoroughbred-stock raising, and when the 
attention of the farmer was drawn to poultry 
he had already achieved a national reputation 
as a breeder and judge of Holstein cattle, and 
was in demand as a speaker at Farmers’ Insti¬ 
tutes in many states. The man is Henry Van 
Dreser and his farm is in Cobleskill, N. Y., 
where he was born and grew to manhood, his 
Dutch ancestors being well and favorably known 
throughout that region. It is a most beautiful 
country about there. All of that part of New 
York state lying north of the Catskills and 
west of the Hudson is an ideal country for a 
home. 

We recognized Mr. Van Dreser on the station 
platform before the train had come to a stop, 
and a hearty hand-grasp welcomed us. Driving 
through the thriving town and out upon the 
country road, we noted that everyone knew and 
exchanged salutations with him, and everyone 
who addressed him called him “ Henry.” It’s 
a good indication of a man’s character to be 
well known and on intimate terms with a whole 
townspeople! We drove through some two miles 
of rural loveliness, up two or three modest hills, 
then up quite a steep rise (badly washed by 
recent rains), and there was the farm spread out 
before us. 

“That is our home!” said Mr. Van Dreser, 
and his voice lingered lovingly upon the word, 
as we sat in the carriage and looked across the 
modest valley to the farm buildings and fields 
spread over the sloping hillside. The buildings 
were all in sight from that view point, and it 
was, indeed, fair to look upon that pleasant 
August morning. 

“ It isn’t possible that you raise hops too? ” 
we said, as we drove past a considerable hop 
field. 

“Yes, those are our hops,” Mr. Van D. re¬ 
plied, “ and that is our corn just above the hops, 
and the sunflowers just beyond. This part of 
our farm lies on the high road on two sides.” 
“Isn’t that a fine piece of corn, though!” he 
exclaimed, “ how well that is eared out.” 

Then the sunflowers came in for comment, 
and in a few minutes the orchard, across the 
road from the dwelling house, and fairly over¬ 
flowing with White Leghorn youngsters, came 
into view, and we stepped down at the door of 
the house, to be welcomed by Mr. Green, Mr. 
Van Dreser’s able second, to whose patient, 
watchful care for the past six years, much of the 


constant growth and success of the business 
is due. 

Mr. Van Dreser’s “Twelve Hundred Hen 
House.” 

The chickens in the orchard first attracted 
our attention, then the packing house and in¬ 
cubator cellar, and then we crossed the road to 
the long house, the “ twelve hundred hen house ” 
as they call it, which is in the center, indeed 
the chief object in the plant, and its most dis¬ 
tinctive feature. This long house, running east 
from the farm buildings, is situated just upon 
the edge of the hill slope, and looks off over the 
valley in which the bulk of the 200-acre farm 
lies; it is 367 feet long, nine and a half feet high 
in front, five and a half feet high at the back, and 
is fifteen feet wide. The single roof slopes 
north, an excellent thing, relieving the south 
front, where the fowls congregate, of all drip. 
The foundation of the house is stone laid up in 
mortar, and it is filled in to bottom of sills with 
stones and rubble, then floored with Portland 
cement; it took nine and a half tons of cement 
to floor this house. The frame and rafters are 
of four inch studding and both walls and roof 
are double boarded, boarded both outside and 
inside the studs and rafters. The walls are 
boarded up outside with “siding,” and inside 
with sheathing paper and inch boards, and all the 
spaces between studs are packed with swale hay 
and straw. The roof is covered with steel 
roofing, painted red, is ceiled on the under-side 
with boards and this four-inch space is likewise 
packed with swale hay and straw. These 
(practically) six-inch walls and roof make the 
house very cool in summer and exclude frost 
in winter. 

Description of Interior of Long House. 

The interior arrangements of the house are 
very simple. Midway of it is one section carried 
up two stories, the first floor of which is a tasty 
and convenient farm office and the second floor 
is finished off for a sleeping room for a poultry- 
man. 

The poultry house itself is divided into 
twenty-two compartments, fifteen feet square, 
each three compartments being separated from 
the next ones by a matched boards partition and 
wooden door, all the other partitions being of 
wire netting and gates. Each fifteen-foot com¬ 
partment has two windows of twelve lights, 
9x12 glass in the front; a droppings platform 


74 


PRACTICAL EGG FARMS. 



about three feet wide, with 
roosts above and a bank of 
nests below it at the back. 

A feed trough, water pan, 
grit and shells box, and (in 
one corner) a dusting pen 
comprise t h e furnishings. 

The water pan is set on a 
shelf some eighteen inches 
from the floor, which puts 
it up out of the way of the 
flying litter when the hens 
are scratching. The shelf 
is sufficiently broad so that the fowls may 
stand around the pan to drink, only about 
two inches of the margin of which is exposed 
to them. The water dish is a pan, literally; 
just a common milk pan, set on a broad shelf, 
with a board fixed just above to cover it all 
but the edge. 

All ventilation is by the windows, one of 
which in each pen is hinged at the side (just like 
a door), the windows are covered with wire 
netting to protect them against any wild plunges 
the fowls might make if frightened. All doors 
and gates between pens are in the centers of 
partitions, and are hung by strong spring-hinges, 
and they may swing either way; so that the at¬ 
tendant, going from pen to pen to feed or water, 
can push through from one pen to another with¬ 
out stopping to unlatch and latch doors and 
gates. 

There is straw or some scratching litter (which 
is frequently renewed) on the floor of these pens 
at all times. At the time of our visit there were 
but two or three inches of this, but in winter it is 
fully a foot in depth, and all the hard grain fed 
is thrown into the scratching litter and the birds 
have to scratch it out. Scratching is the fowl’s 
normal exercise, and is the best (most natural) 
exercise for them; fowls that have to scratch and 
search for their food will be in good health if 
other conditions are right. 

The droppings platform is about eighteen 
inches above the floor, and the roosts some ten 
inches above the platform. These are hinged 
to the back wall and can be hooked up to the 
roof to be out of the way when cleaning the 
platform; a two-inch wide strip is nailed to edge 
of platform to secure the droppings, and a ten- 
inch wide board is hinged below to darken the 
space occupied by the nest boxes. This effectu¬ 
ally prevents egg eating, as the nests are all dark 
and retired; there is a space at each end of the 


board which permits entrance to the nests. Of 
course it adds to the labor of collecting the eggs 
to have to swing up this board in each pen, but 
that is a small matter compared to the gain of 
preventing egg-eating, which is the bane of 
many a poultry house and effectually dissipates 
the profits. 

The droppings platform is cleaned off but once 
a week, and then well covered with land plaster 
(gypsum). That is, this has been the practice, 
but at the time of my visit, they were about to 
change to pulverized South Carolina rock, 
which is rich in phosporic acid, and, combined 
with the nitrogenous poultry manure, would 
make a very well balanced fertilizer for Mr. Van 
Dreser’s land, which is already well supplied 
with potash. When they clean off the droppings 
platforms a wagon is driven along the front of 
the house, stopping at the open window of each 
pen in turn, and the droppings are loaded di¬ 
rectly into the wagon. There being no pens (or 
yards) in front of the house, makes this possible. 
It was a surprise to us that there were no yards, 
and Mr. Van Dreser told us he put up fences and 
made yards when he built the house, but he did 
not like the looks of them and did not like to see 
the birds confined, so he took the fences down, 
and the (1,200) birds now have absolutely free 
range to the south, away off into the valley; we 
could see some of them so far away they looked 
like mere white specks in the distance. Another 
surprise to us was that the male birds running 
free did not fight. We were told they did not 
and those we saw about had no appearance of 
having “scrapped”; there was nothing that 
looked like torn combs or wattles, or their ever 
having been torn or marred. The explanation 
of this was that the birds were all brought up 
together as cockerels, and about three put in 
each pen together, and so they never fought. If 
a bird from another farm, a stranger, was in- 


75 







PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


troduced into that peaceable community we 
opine there would be a different story to tell! 

It will be a surprise to many readers that these 
twelve hundred birds find their way back into the 
twenty-two compartments at night, after run¬ 
ning together outside all day. It is not to be 
supposed that they all get back to the compart¬ 
ment which they left in the morning. All the 
compartments are alike, and when the birds are 
coming in to go to roost the attendant goes 
through and closes the slide doors (leading out¬ 
doors) of such compartments as are full, and the 
birds then go on to others that are not full. It 
occurred to us that the swinging doors and gates 
between the compartments could be left open at 
roosting time, and the birds finding the roosts of 
one pen full, would go on to another; this is prac¬ 
tically the plan adopted on one large poultry 
farm of which we have knowledge. 

Another point which should not be over¬ 
looked. The birds are put into these pens in 
the autumn, upon the approach of cold weather, 
and are not allowed out again until spring; they 
thus have four to five months of confinement in 
the house, they know no other home and know 
nothing of the delights of ranging. Under 
these conditions, being naturally home-loving, 
they return to their quarters without trouble or 
bother. 

Entrance doors to house are at either end and 
through the office in the center, which means a 
considerable walk to reach intermediate pens 
half way between the office and either end. With 
no yards in front of the house, it would have 
been an easy matter to put a “ Dutch door ” in 
the front of each pen (the upper part of it being 
the hinged window), and that would give direct 
access to every pen. A small building at the 
west end of this long house (but separated from 
it by a few feet space) is the cook house, and 
here all the “ mash ” and cooked food is pre¬ 
pared. 

A high road runs through the farm east and 
west along the hillside; all the farm buildings, 
including the dwelling house and the long poul¬ 
try house, are south of this road, and the greater 
part of the farm also. Across this road and 
rising up the hillside to the north, is an apple 
orchard of about twelve acres, in which the 
brooder houses are placed, and here, 2,500 head 
of half grown youngsters were ranging at will. A 
better place for chickens could not be found in 
ten counties. The strong clay land is well 
stocked with clover and other grasses, the apple 


trees furnish abundance of shade and the open 
spaces between them give access to sunshine if 
it is desired, while the southern slope of the 
ground gives sunshine and perfect drainage, 
making it ideally healthful. 

Individual Brooder Houses Described. 

Here were set three rows of “ individual ” 
brooder houses, the rows being sixty feet apart 
and the houses being fifty apart in the rows. 
The houses are six feet square, five feet high 
in front and three feet high in the back—have a 
small window and door (also a small trap door) 
in front, and covered, roof and walls, with Nepon- 
set Red Rope Roofing, and painted. The 
brooder is a common pattern of indoor brooder, 
the lamp slides into the center of lamp chamber 
on a cleated board. The little chicks are put 
into these brooder houses directly from the in¬ 
cubators. They are given the run of inside of 
house for a day or two, and then let out, on pleas¬ 
ant days, into small, temporary yards which 
are erected in front of each house. After a week 
or so, when the chicks have got well onto their 
feet, the } r ard fences are taken down and put 
over to other houses, and these lots given full 
range. When the chicks have got large enough 
so that they no longer need the warmth of the 
brooder, it is removed to storage room in the 
packing house loft, and the youngsters con¬ 
tinue their life in the brooder house without a 
brooder, that being their home until they go 
into permanent quarters. 

There are several things about these orchard 
brooder houses that could be bettered. As it is 
now with three rows of houses only sixty feet 
apart, only one-third or less of the orchard is 
utilized. It is well known that chicks range 
more widely as they get older; we would pro¬ 
mote that ranging by distributing the houses all 
over the orchard, setting the rows (say) 150 feet 
apart and the houses (say) 100 feet apart in the 
rows. This would make more steps for the at¬ 
tendant, it is true, and seemingly unnecessary 
steps while the chicks are small; but—we are not 
thinking of the attendant, we are thinking of 
greater benefit to the growing chicks from that 
wider and fresher range. It is not wise to econo¬ 
mize on the attendant’s steps if the ultimate re¬ 
sult is (even a slight) falling short of the very 
best development of the chicks! Another thing 
we would do differently would be to have a good 
outdoor brooder that could be used for another 
family of youngsters after being taken out of the 


76 


PRACTICAL EGG FARMS. 



Individual Brooder Houses in the Orchard, Van Breser Poultry Farm. 


house; and still another would be to set the 
houses on runners so a horse could be hitched to 
them and hauled to another location; this last 
we understood Mr. Van Dreser to say he in¬ 
tended to do. 

Some families of chicks hatched earlier than 
it is well to have them run out of doors, are 
brooded in the storage room of the building 
called the packing house; the same “indoor” 
brooders being used that are later put out in the 
detached houses in the orchard. With Leg¬ 
horns, hatched for laying-breeding stock, how¬ 
ever, there is really no need of early hatches. 
May is the best month for hatching Leghorns, 
and in May, chicks can be put out doors 
at once in most years in Central New York. If I 
were conducting such a poultry farm as Mr. 
YanDreser’s, I would have incubators enough 
to get out all the chicks desired in two hatches 
and have both of these hatches come in May, or 
possibly one of them in the last week in April, 
and the other in the middle of May, then have 
brooders enough to handle “ the crop ” and have 
the chicks just about all of an age and size; then 
I would get eggs galore in November, December 
and January, when eggs pay the big profits. 

Caring for and Feeding the Chicks. 

The chicks get nothing to eat the first day, in 
fact are best left in the incubator till they are 
at least twenty-four hours old. On the first 
day they get bread crumbs soaked in sweet milk 
and then “Johnny Cake” made of mixed meals 
and thoroughly baked; this is their food until 
they are about three weeks old. They are then 
gradually changed to a mash made of mixed 
meals, composed of ground oats, wheat and 
corn meal, with about ten per cent of beef scrap 
and with a little wheat bran added. This is fed 
in the morning, and cracked corn, wheat and 


oat flakes are the other 
daily feeds. Fresh water, 
grit and charcoal are kept 
constantly by them. 

After the pullets are 
moved into their winter 
quarters, they have a mash 
feed once a da}', about ten 
or eleven o’clock in the 
winter and about four o’clock 
in the afternoon in sum¬ 
mer. This mash is made of 
equal parts of pea meal 
(made of Canada fresh peas) 
wheat bran, wheat middlings, and beef scrap, 
and into this mash is put twenty-five pounds of 
cut fresh bone for each 1,000 fowls. In winter, 
as soon as it is light, a grain feed of oats and 
wheat is thrown into the scratching litter, to set 
them to work scratching; then the mash, and in 
the afternoon a feed of corn, either whole or 
cracked. In the summer a grain feed of wheat 
and oats at noon and the mash toward night 
It is the intention to keep the birds just a lit¬ 
tle hungry, with the purpose of having them 
willing to scratch for their grain, and thus get 
needed exercise. Exercise and an abundance 
of fresh air from having the house well ventilated 
(well aired out) are relied upon to keep the fowls 
in good health. And the results justify the re¬ 
liance ! There has never been any sickness and 
it is almost never that a fowl dies of disease; 
a year ago last winter, with 2,200 birds put into 
the quarters, there was a loss of but one from 
that number in four months; and that is a won¬ 
derful record! A factor in this high health is the 
varying of food ration and the supplying of 
green food in winter. Mangel beets and cut 
clover are relied upon chiefly for the latter, and 
millet, sunflower seed, etc., for the former. 
Cabbage has been used some in the past, but a 
few years ago a dealer in New York City wanted 
to contract for a certain number of cases of eggs 
a week, at a good premium for eggs from hens 
that were not fed cabbage, and Mr. Van Dreser 
changed to mangels and cut clover. Said he: 
“ I am perfectly willing to give a man what he 
wants, provided he will pay for it. ” 

The Business Highly Profitable. 

That this business, as conducted, is highly 
profitable is easily seen. Every egg is "clean ” 
when it goes to market, and only the good sized 
and well-shelled and shaped eggs go into the cases 


77 









PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


for the premium-paying trade; the smaller eggs 
and those not quite up to “No. 1 ” in quality are 
graded as “seconds” and are sold in market for 
what they will fetch. 

Mr. Terry, in the Practical Farmer, said the 
3,000 hens were last winter turning in an in¬ 
come of $98.70 per day for eggs alone, and that 
stock for breeding carried the income to above 
$100.00 a day. This would be for a limited time 
only, of course, as the steady lowering of the 
number of stock layers (by sales) would shrink 
the egg product. The gross income would not 
be all profit, there are the food, labor and in¬ 
cidental expenses to come out of it. It makes 
no difference that about all the food there is 
raised on the farm; if sold to the hens the hen 
account should be charged market prices for it. 
We don’t know whether the hens are paid (in 
the account) for their manure, but it is a very 
valuable fertilizer and worth many dollars; 
about three thousand bushels of this rich fer¬ 
tilizer is made there on the farm, and goes back 
onto the farm every year. And how it makes 
the crops grow! One year, Mr. Van Dreser put 
550 pounds of hen manure on a measured acre of 
wheat and sowed another acre right alongside 
of it without any fertilizer; the acre with hen 
manure produced 59^ bushels of wheat and the 
other acre but 31. The hen gives back to the 
land in the shape of manure, a larger proportion 
of the fertilizing elements in the food than any 
other animal. A writer in the Rural New 
Yorker says that forty to fifty bushels of sun¬ 
flower seed per acre is an average crop. Mr. 
Van Dreser raised a measured nine-tenths of an 
acre of sunflowers last year and the bagged pro¬ 
duct was 140 bushels of seed. A letter from the 
thresherman (now before me) says: “ My sieves 
were not designed to clean sunflower seed so that 
not all was saved, some seed went to waste in 
the chaff. ” As the chaff went into the scratch¬ 
ing litter in the hen pens, these did not go to 
Waste—the hens got them! 

There are ample evidences, there on the Van 
Dreser Farm, of his being a thorough, up-to- 
date farmer. The best of farm machinery and 
tools were in use and the best of crops growing 
or being harvested. A field of twenty-five 
acres of mixed oats and peas (Canada field peas) 
was being harvested on the day I was there; 
there were eighty-four bushels of seed sown on 
this piece of land, at the rate of two bushels of 
oats to one of peas. There were raised this sea¬ 
son 11^ acres of buckwheat and ten acres of 


wheat; two years ago nine hundred bushels of 
wheat were harvested—and all of this farm 
work revolves around the poultry; the hens run 
the farm! 

Poultry Plant Holds First Place. 

Perhaps the most remarkable feature of this 
story is that a highly successful stock farm has 
been turned into a poultry farm, and everything 
is now subordinated to the poultry. We hear of 
many farms which, being unsuccessful in general 
farming, etc., have been turned into poultry 
farms and thus made successful, but we do not 
recall another case just like this. Mr. Van 
Dreser and his brother bought the farm, about 
forty years ago, and tried hard to make a living 
and pay the interest on the mortgage by gen¬ 
eral farming. After several years of this work 
they were compelled to face the fact that they 
were not gaining an inch, and then they turned 
their attention to thoroughbred stock raising, 
going into Holsteins just on the flood tide. Suc¬ 
cess crowned their work, reputation and good 
sales came to them and Mr. Henry Van Dreser 
was in demand as a judge at shows and fairs, and 
became a popular speaker at Farmers’ Insti¬ 
tutes in several states. The house being rather 
crowded by two growing families, the older 
brother grasped the opportunity to buy a fine 
farm near by and sold out his half of the farm to 
his brother Henry. No particular attention had 
been given to poultry until Mr. Van Dreser’s 
adopted son, who was educated at Cornell Uni¬ 
versity, came home very enthusiastic about it. 
Not having much encouragement, he deter¬ 
mined to go ahead on his own account and began 
excavating a basement under the carriage house, 
working at the job during the noon hour and at 
odd moments, lest his father should think he 
was neglecting the regular farm work. Noting 
the youth’s devotion to his idea, Mr. Van Dreser 
decided that he should start right, and bought 
him thirty White Leghorns of Mr. Wyckoff, 
whose stock, bred for laying, had attained an 
average egg yield of 196 eggs in a year; by buy¬ 
ing a stock of pedigreed egg layers, the young 
man secured the advantage of the accumulated 
momentum of many years’ selection and breed¬ 
ing, and success crowned their efforts from the 
first. The poultry business grew and grew; its 
greater profitableness being manifest, every¬ 
thing was subordinated to that, and the end is 
not yet. Mr. Van Dreser intends that the busi¬ 
ness shall continue to grow. 

—Reliable Poultry Journal. 


78 


PRACTICAL EGG FARMS. 


THE YARD PROBLEM. 

The Poisoning of the Ground. Crops for Fresh¬ 
ening the Ground. The North and South 
Yard Combination. 

In keeping fowls on the semi-confinement 
plan the yard problem presents not a few diffi¬ 
culties. Where fowls are given the run of even 
a considerable plot of ground, they annihilate 
the grass within a year or two (and frequently 
the first season), then the surface of the ground 
becomes sodden with the accumulated drop¬ 
pings, and is “ sick, ” or, as some express it, be¬ 
come s poisoned. It certainly becomes ob¬ 
noxious and offensive to the fowls and causes 
lack of energy and loss of stamina and vigor. 
The fowls become more or less listless, and seem 
to have no interest in anything,—in fact, life 
seems to them not worth living. This condition 
presents a serious difficulty and one which has 
caused disaster to many a confiding poultry- 
man. The difficulty of foul yards has caused 
many poultry writers to antagonize permanent 
poultry houses and yards; they argue that mov¬ 
able poultry houses, either with or without yards 
(the yards being movable if supplied), were 
much more successful. And some have argued 
in favor of the colony-house plan with the poul¬ 
try houses themselves being movable and brought 
together for winter; an example of which we 
give in one of the illustrations of this chapter. 

There is no doubt but that a grass run is of 
greatest advantage in poultry keeping; if the 
runs can be kept clean and sweet. Discussing 
this question Mr. Louis Wright, in the New 
Book of Poultry says: 

“These are the best of all for poultry, giving 
natural green food at nearly all seasons in Eng¬ 
land (not in America), and also exercise and 
more or less insect food. Where space can be 
given for grass, no single condition will do so 
much for fowls and owner; but it is no use in 
attempting grass unless there is adequate space, 
and a great deal is required. Experience taught 
us very clearly that in England, one hundred 
and twenty fowls required an acre of run if 
kept on it permanently; and the larger breeds 
should not exceed one hundred per acre. But 
this is not the very best way of using the land, 
which will be kept healthier in the long run by 
over stocking it to the extent of even double, 
provided each run can be vacated for three 
months every year. This also brings runs into 
more compact compass, and so we arrive at a 


grass run of about twenty-five feet by fifty feet 
for a pen of six large Asiatic fowls. 

“A run of this reduced size, thus tenanted, 
will last for several years, even when occupied 
without cessation, with no apparent detriment, 
if constantly attended to; but it does gradually 
become 'sickened, ’ unless it can be vacated for 
freshening and purification. Amongst a num¬ 
ber of runs this can be managed, either by three 
months annually, or six months bi-annually. 
This time need not be wasted wherever grass or 
hay can be used, as a crop may be taken a week 
or two before the tenants are returned to it. 
The runs will also need moving tolerably often, 
even while occupied; since, although too over¬ 
crowded for permanent occupation, this does 
not mean that the grass is kept down. Near 
the house it may be, but less so the farther away; 
and it must be mown whenever it is long, else 
the fowls may get balls of long, tangled grass in 
their crops, and may eat blades of it, parts of 
which are contaminated. Such fouled grass is 
simply poison. All this is avoided, worms and 
insects made more accessible, and the droppings 
more quickly washed into the actual soil, to be 
absorbed, instead of adhering to the grass, by 
proper mowing as recjuired. Keeping the 
grass constantly mown short is the one matter 
of greatest importance in the management of 
limited grass runs. Grass cut during full occu¬ 
pation should be burnt, and the ashes mixed 
with the other manure. 

“ Regular cutting is of equal importance to 
runs meant to be constantly occupied, and 
which are therefore of larger size. Much grass 
will then go to waste, yet the conclusion must 
not be drawn that so much space is not needed; 
long experience has shown that it is, if the ten¬ 
ancy is to continue longer than five to six years, 
up to which time a crowding of considerably 
more than the hundred per acre may be gener¬ 
ally carried on without apparent harm. But 
somewhere about that time Nemesis comes, and 
often with no apparent warning. ” 

Mr. Wright says: “Keeping the grass con¬ 
stantly mown short is the one matter of greatest 
importance in the management of limited grass 
runs, ” but how many poultrymen understand 
the necessity of that, or live up to it if they do 
understand it? Going over the runs with a 
lawn mower, say once a week in the growing 
season, entails a labor charge that would be a 
serious problem to many poultrymen, and 
would suggest the question of employing some 


79 


PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 



Scratching Shed Houses with North and South Yards. 


other method, say, for example, that they va¬ 
cate the yards for two or three months in late 
summer and freshen with some growing crop, 
and this may be done in one of several ways. 
Some broiler raisers freshen their brooder runs 
in this manner, by spading up the runs and plant¬ 
ing some quick growing crop in them, as soon as 
the chicks are shipped off to market. Duck 
raisers follow the same plan of plowing the yards 
and seeding with winter rye or some such crop 
as early in the fall as it is possible to get to it. The 
duck growers have the great advantage of only 
temporary yards, which can be removed at any 
time, and thus the entire space used for runs is 
open for plowing. Some system of temporary 
fencing of permanent poultry runs would not be 
an insuperable difficulty; it would be possible to 
attach the fencing to the posts in some manner 
that it could be easily removed and rolled up 
out of the way for such time as is needed for 
plowing and seeding the yards. Some poultry- 
men have panel-gates next the poultry house, 
which can be lifted off from the posts, permit¬ 
ting the driving of a team through the yards 
from end to end of the house for cleaning and re¬ 
newing the earth floors of the house, and such 


panel-gates admit a team for plowing when the 
yards can be plowed and seeded for the desired 
freshening. In the illustration of the scratch- 
ing-shed houses with double runs, these panel- 
gates are shown and a short substitute run in 
rear of each pen, into which the fowls can be 
turned for such time as the main yards are being 
plowed up and seeded; this plan of housing and 
yarding presents many advantages that are well 
worthy of adoption. It does not require any 
greater amount of land for houses and runs; in¬ 
stead of giving all of the space between the row 
of houses to a long run, a fourth of the space is 
given to the short runs in the rear of the nearer 
house and the other three-fourths to the per¬ 
manent runs of house number two,—the sub¬ 
tracted space would be made good by similar 
runs in rear of pens of house number two. 

The soil upon which the poultry plant is lo¬ 
cated will in a measure determine the method 
employed. For example, at Lakewood Poultry 
Farm, and in other such sandy-soil locations, it 
is claimed that the droppings are washed into 
the sand by every rain, and that, consequently, 
the surface is always kept fresh and sweet,—is 
free from poison. Whether this is wholly true 


80 









































































PRACTICAL EGG FARMS. 


may well be doubted, certainly the experience 
of the Hammonton broiler raisers induces them 
to give the annual freshening to their brooder 
house runs, and their soil is quite the same sandy 
loam as that at Lakewood Poultry Farm. Where 
the soil is a clay-loam there would be greater 
danger of soil-poisoning from the accumulated 
droppings, than a lighter soil into which the 
water quickly washes the droppings, and one 
would need to study the conditions of his 
ground and govern himself accordingly. 

It is very desirable that there shall be shade 
in the poultry yards, and as a combination of 
fruit growing and poultry raising is most advan¬ 
tageous, it is advised that fruit trees, such as 
plum, cherry, peach, apple, etc., be set in the 
yards; and where permanent fences are desired 
these may be trellises for grape vines and the 
grape vines furnish the much desired shade. 
When we speak of shade in the poultry yard, we 
do not mean complete shade, but that there 
should be partial shade, so that the fowls can 
choose a shady spot or a sunny spot at will. 

It should be borne in mind that the highly 
nitrogenous character of the poultry droppings 
induces growth of the trees, hence frequent prun¬ 
ing is necessary to induce fruiting, and many 
fruit trees need to have the fruit thinned to 
avoid the danger of over-bearing. With fruit- 
trees growing in the yards and grape vines on 
the permanent fences, the roots absorb a por¬ 
tion of the fertilizing element contributed by the 
fowls, which will, in a measure, assist in keeping 
the soil sweet. We use the term, “ in a measure” 
because nothing short of an annual over-turning 
of the surface and seeding to some quick grow¬ 
ing crop will produce complete soil cleansing; 
and where it is the intention to keep fowls con¬ 
tinuously year after year an annual seeding 
will be found quite essential. 


A TYPICAL POULTRYMAN. 

Pluck, Perseverance and Intelligence Win 
Success.—How a Machinist Became a 
Successful Poultry Farmer. 

Mr. C. H. Wyckoff, formerly of Groton, N. Y., 
is a typical poultry man, an excellent example of 
what a poultry man should be, and can be. Grow¬ 
ing up on a farm, he had a practical knowledge 
of the advantages and disadvantages of farm 
life. Being desirous of becoming a machinist 
he served an apprenticeship at that trade, and 
worked at it for several years, gradually coming 


to realize the limitations of a mechanic’s life. 
The freedom and “out-of-doors” of farm life 
strongly attracted him, but alas, he had no cap¬ 
ital,—every dollar of his weekly wages being 
consumeel in the family expenses; a condition 
exactly similar to that of thousanels upon thou¬ 
sands of mechanics, clerks, etc., who long to get 
back to the freedom of farm life, but find them¬ 
selves confronted with the fact of weekly wages 
barely meeting the weekly expenses, and no 
surplus at the end of the year. 

About fifteen years ago Mr. Wyckoff founel an 
olel man living on an olel hill-top farm a mile and 
a half out of Groton, who was willing to sell his 
farm for nothing down, accepting as security for 
the first payment, a note for a thousand dollars 
with the endorsement of Mr. Wyckoff’s father. 
His father was able to loan him a few dollars, 
with which to partially stock the farm, buy a few 
tools, and get one step ahead. Mr. Wyckoff in¬ 
tended to develop that old run-down farm into a' 
poultry farm, having kept “ a few hens ” at his 
former home, and being a firm believer in the 
profitableness of producing eggs for market. He 
bought about twenty-five scrub hens, and housed 
them in one of the old buildings on the place, 
gradually added to his stock as the eggs pro¬ 
duced by the mixed hens warranted it, and had 
the second year respectable flocks of Plymouth 
Rocks and Brown Leghorns. From eggs pro¬ 
duced by these flocks he saved up $75, and the 
next spring invested it in White Leghorn eggs, 
and a year later had grown to a stock of one 
hundred and eighty good White Leghorns. 

We want the reader to observe that all of this 
growth had been paid for by the hens themselves. 
Mr. Wyckoff got his “ living ” out of the old run¬ 
down farm and garden, and set aside every dol¬ 
lar of the egg-money to pay for more hens, or 
for the eggs from which to hatch them. There¬ 
in is the secret of his rapid climb to success. If 
he had insisted upon using small slices of this 
egg-money in buying family supplies, or better 
clothing, or farm tools, or other things which 
were sorely needed in those first years, he 
wouldn’t have “got there” so quickly. 

There were many times when a dollar or two 
“ borrowed ” from that egg-money would have 
eased the pinch of hard times in that house¬ 
hold, but Mr. Wyckoff believed that easy times 
were just ahead, that the harder road was the 
shorter, and had the courage to wait and grow. 
That third year, when he had one hundred and 
eighty White Leghorns, eggs were extremely 


81 




PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 



Semi-Detached Houses and Yards, Wyckoff Poultry Farm. 


scarce and high, and in January alone of that 
year his flocks gave him $90 worth of eggs. 
More chickens were hatched, more buildings and 
yards built, all paid for out of the egg-money, 
and for the last ten years he has been selling 
$3,000 to $4,000 worth of products a year from 
that old farm. 

The hens have paid for it all. The total in¬ 
vestment was the few dollars paid for the first 
mixed hens; all the rest is accrued earnings of 
the hens themselves. Isn’t that a cheering ex¬ 
ample? Are we not right in considering Mr. 
Wyckoff a typical poultry man? The farm is all 
paid for—was paid for by the hens. The build¬ 
ings to house them, the fences built to enclose 
the yards, the hundreds of young fruit trees set 
in the yards, together with all the cows, farm 
tools and machinery for carrying on a sixty-acre 
farm—have been paid for by those hens; and we 
know (we didn’t ask him—but we know ) there’s 
a dollar or two in the bank. Compare that con¬ 
dition with the one of fifteen years ago, when the 
weekly wages barely paid the family expenses! 

Mr. Wyckoff loves the farm, and takes honest 
pride in his prosperous looking, claen-cultivated 
fields;but he says his “farm”don’t pay any profit. 


He keeps six or eight cows and makes butter 
for market—but says there’s no money in it. 
Indirectly perhaps it pays, because the manure 
from the cows helps to enrich the fields for the 
noble crops of corn and wheat he raises for 
poultry food; then there is the pleasure one gets 
from well tilled fields; it warms the heart to see 
the crops grow. We walked back over the farm, 
and Mr. Wyckoff told us of the hard days’ works 
he had put in there, ditching and draining, and 
showed us one splendid field of eight or ten acres 
which he has “ made ” himself, reclaiming it from 
wet, rough, stumpy pasture. We suggested that 
he would be just as well off, perhaps better, if he 
sold off a part of his farm, and he said that he 
knew that, and had offered to sell thirty or forty 
acres off the rear end. As a street runs along 
the west side of his land, it would be well 
located for an independent farm, and a better 
location for a home, and a finer outlook, one 
wouldn’t find in a day’s journey. We give him 
this free ad. for the benefit of anyone wanting to 
buy land and build his own buildings. 

To return to the poultry. Mr. Wyckoff 
winters about six hundred head of laying stock. 
As he has built up a large business in cockerels 


82 





























































































































PRACTICAL EGG FARMS. 


and breeding stock, he usually has a thousand 
head, or even more, at the beginning of winter; 
but six hundred is his capacity. These he 
houses in families of about fifty, the pens being 
12x20 feet in size, each having a yard two rods 
wide by eight rods long. The houses are built 
forty feet long by twelve feet wide, and divided 
into two pens by a solid board partition, having 
a door to pass through. The houses have double 
pitch roofs; roofs are shingled, and walls double 
boarded, with building paper between the board¬ 
ings. The windows are noticeably small, two to 
a pen, of six lights of ten by fourteen glass. These 
are ample for light, and not large enough to 
lower the temperature so much as the big win¬ 
dows do, and Mr. Wyckoff, unlike many New 
York poultrymen, does not have stoves in his 
houses. He has sometimes had a male bird’s 
oomb nipped by frost, but never one of his hens. 

The houses have board floors, which he litters 
with straw, and there is an open space of ten or 
twelve feet between the ends of the houses. With 
a door in each end and one in the center partition 
he passes through each house, and from one 
house to the other, in feeding, collecting eggs, 
etc. It was a great pleasure to go through the 
pens at feeding time and look over the flocks of 
large sized fine White Leghorns. Mr. Wyckoff 
breeds for business, and calls his stock, “ busi¬ 
ness White Leghorns. ” He has made a record 
of one hundred and ninety-four eggs apiece a 
year from six hundred birds, and has built up 
his stock by carefully selecting his breeders for 
large size and great laying qualities; a more 
vigorous and thrifty looking lot of fowls one 
couldn’t find in a day’s journey. 

Mr. Wyckoff is a firm believer in green food, 
and feeds it regularly winter and summer, 
whether or not the fowls have grass runs. He 
says he has found, by actual test, that the egg 
yield increased substantially when he fed green 
food, and decreased when it was omitted. The 
chief reliance in summer is kale, but he begins 
with clover, feeding that until the kale gets a 
good start, then the latter is gathered and fed 
daily. Kale (or borecole) is one of the family 
of plants similar to cabbage, (but which do not 
boll), which are used for the boiled vegetable 
called “ greens, ” the leaves and stalks having a 
slightly aromatic taste. When the plants have 
got a good start the lower (oldest) leaves on the 
stalks are plucked and fed, the plant continuing 
to grow and produce more leaves, so that with 
a bed a rod wide by four or five rods long, a con¬ 


tinuous crop of green food may be hai vested till 
the ground is frozen. In Mr. Wyckoff’s garden 
the kale was planted in rows about two feet 
apart, and the plants stood about a foot apart 
in the rows. 

The eggs are shipped to a retail dealer in New 
York city, and bring a premium of from six to 
fourteen cents a dozen above the highest market 
quotation of the day of their arrival in New 
York. The highest price they have ever netted 
is fifty-one cents a dozen. He guarantees that 
the eggs are “ strictly fresh ” and, shipping them 
twice a week, (Mondays and Thursdays), the 
oldest eggs in the cases are but three or four days 
old when shipped. He has no difficulty in sell¬ 
ing all he can ship, and during the hatching 
months (practically April and May) he sells 
great numbers of eggs for hatching from selected 
breeders. 

This last branch of the business he has re¬ 
cently taken up, but its growth has been quite 
rapid. As he never sends birds to shows he has 
no show record to boast of—only the egg record 
and the high quality of his stock as “ business 
fowls. ” This is all that is necessary, as nine out 
of ten buyers want business fowls rather than 
prize winners; and Mr. Wyckoff can dispose of 
all he can spare—indeed, could dispose of a great 
many more, if he had them. 

It is curious to note how the growth of stock 
selling has interfered with his keeping accurate 
accounts of egg yield, etc. When he had little 
call for stock, he filled his pens with layers and 
recorded their egg yield. Now he puts many 
more birds in the pens, and is selling them off 
through the late fall and early winter. This not 
only interferes somewhat with the egg yield, but 
the numbers in the pens are frequently changing, 
and a reliable account of egg production per bird 
is impossible. In the spring, too, he wants one 
house for room for brooders and chickens, so the 
birds in that house are put into the others,crowd¬ 
ing them somewhat. Not only does this crowd¬ 
ing lower the egg yield, but moving the birds 
checks the laying. At the time of our visit, a 
brooder house 60x16 feet was being built in the 
pear orchard, east of the poultry buildings, and 
that brooder house will not only take the brood¬ 
ers and chicks in the spring, but will house in the 
fall two or three hundred head of sale stock also; 
such a house will repay for itself in one year. Mr. 
Wyckoff told us his sales of eggs for hatching and 
breeding stock together aggregated Si,800 last 
year. That is a “ business ” of itself. 


83 


PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


m 


A soft food is fed in the morning, but it is 
noticeable that it contains no cooked vegetables. 
He takes one bushel of corn and two of oats, has 
them ground up together quite fine, and to each 
two hundred pounds of this meal he adds one 
hundred pounds of bran. This mixture is 
moistened with skimmed milk or sour milk, or 
buttermilk (with either one or all of them), and 
five or six pounds of beef scraps added. If he 
did not have the milk, more beef scraps would be 
needed. This morning feed is fed in V-shaped 
troughs which are about ten feet long. After 
ten or fifteen minutes he passes through the 
houses and gathers up any food that may be left 
in the troughs, but if any of the fowls seem to be 
hungry he feeds a little more in that pen; he 
wants them to have all they will eat up readily. 

The noon feed consists of the green food of the 
day, which is mangel beets or cabbage in winter, 
clover or kale in summer. On the day of our 
visit he also fed a very light feed of mixed grain 
thrown in the litter to make them scratch. This 
mixed grain, which is the same for the night feed 
also, consists of two bushels each of wheat, oats 
and buckwheat, and one bushel of corn; in winter 
two bushels of corn, which makes the mixture 
then ecpial parts of the whole grains. Some¬ 
times he adds barley, if it is reasonably low in 
price ; and the night feed is a full one, all that the 
fowls will eat up clean. 

This story is too long already, but is so inter¬ 
esting we hardly know where to stop, and 
haven’t more than half exhausted our notes. One 
or two criticisms we wish to make. We think 
Mr. Wyckoff makes a mistake in raising his 
young stock right there in the old buildings and 
yards—a mistake which many (almost all) of the 
New York poultrymen we visited, also make. 
The reason is simply that the old yards and 
buildings are more or less fouled or obnoxious, 
and the chicks will do better on fresh ground. 
On our farm we “ colonize ” the chicks in families 
of twenty-five or thirty, out in the grass fields, 
directly the grass is cut, and find the plan most 
excellent for chicks, and fields both. No small 
advantage of this colonizing plan is that the 
houses and yards are free for the continued use 
of the laying-breeding stock, and their laying 
isn't interrupted (as Mr. Wyckoff told us his 
was), by crowding the hens up to empty one or 
two houses for the chicks. The great advantage, 
however, is the free range for the growing chicks. 
They eat better, because the fresh air and free 
range enables them to digest and assimilate 


more food, consequently they grow faster and 
better. We believe young stock so colonized 
grows up under the most favorable conditions 
and comes to the laying pens in October in the 
best possible condition for winter laying and 
spring breeding. 

We have written to little purpose, if we 
haven’t shown the reader that Mr. Wyckoff is a 
most inspiring example of the successful poultry- 
man, an example which any man may follow. It 
is a trite saying that “ What one man has done 
another can do, ” but—how true it is! Mr. 
Wyckoff has put pluck and perseverance, and in¬ 
telligence into his opportunity; that is all. It will 
be conceded that he had no “ soft snap. ” The 
way was not made easy for him by plenty of capi¬ 
tal; he made his own capital as he went along. 
With his own bare hand, plus pluck and per¬ 
severance and intelligence, he has wrought 
success. —Farm Poidtry. 


WHITE LEGHORNS FOR UTILITY AND 

FANCY. 

Methods Employed at Fairview Farm; Season¬ 
able, Sound and Practical Advice. 

BY H. J. BLANCHARD, CiROTON, N. Y. 

We usually begin selecting our breeding stock 
in December or early January, so as to have 
plenty of time to look the birds over very care¬ 
fully for a few weeks, remove all specimens that 
may show undesirable traits and replace with 
finer ones. Vigor is the first essential in any 
fowl, and especially breeders, as it is the founda¬ 
tion on which to build the best layer or finest 
show bird. 

Select your breeding hens from the pens hav¬ 
ing the best egg record, and if selling breeding 
and exhibition stock and eggs for hatching, look 
well to standard requirements also. In mating 
hens, use vigorous, active cockerels, well 
marked, for standard matings; and for pullets 
use vigorous cocks. Look well to the vigor of 
the cocks and see that they are not sluggish or 
inactive. 

Don’t push your breeding birds for eggs, but 
feed a good, balanced ration and let them come 
to laying naturally. Right here let me say that 
while I favor feeding liberally a good, balanced 
ration, yet I firmly believe it is not so much 
what we feed as the way we feed and manage 
that makes hens lay best. 

Don’t try any “forced molting” process— 
your birds will molt when it is best for them. 


84 



PRACTICAL EGG FARMS. 



Houses and Yards for Breeding Stock, Fairview Poultry Farm. 


However you can assist Xature in the molting 
process by feeding the birds old-process oil meal, 
sunflower seed or other foods which will assist in 
growing feathers as well as nourish the bird. We 
always feed meat during molting, even though 
we get few eggs to pay for it, as it helps the 
birds to recover and get into condition more 
quickly. 

We read a great deal about feeding for fertil¬ 
ity of eggs, as if it were a special process, but it 
is only good, sensible feeding for general health 
and eggs, which includes shell, grit, plenty of 
succulent green food, and a liberal amount of 
exercise, scratching for grain in litter in a proper¬ 
ly ventilated, dry, clean house. 

If White Leghorns are the only variety you 
keep, and you wish to hatch and raise your 
chickens by the natural method, you had best 
get some Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes or Brah¬ 
mas, as the White Leghorn is a treacherous 
sitter even when she is inclined to make a busi¬ 
ness of it, and only a small percentage of them 
will sit. Then you have lice to contend with as 
well as the vagaries of the hen, and if chickens 
are wanted in any considerable numbers, I would 
certainly advise the use of good incubators and 
brooders. 

Our White Leghorns have been hatched and 
reared in large numbers continuously for many 
years by the artificial method, and we are satis¬ 
fied it is by far the best and most profitable 
way. Some few breeders still maintain that 
artificially hatched and reared chicks do not 


make as large, vigorous birds, nor as good layers, 
but our experience is quite the reverse. Buy 
the best incubators and brooders you can get, 
even though the first cost is more—the cheap 
machines are usually “ made to sell ” and would 
be dear as a gift. Run your machines a few 
days before using, so as to become familiar 
with them and able to keep them well under 
control. 

At the end of the 21st day, after the hatch is 
done, open the incubator and remove the trays 
with the shells, unhatched eggs and dead chicks, 
if any, open wide all ventilators and run the 
heat down to 98 or 100 degrees, leaving the 
chicks in without food or water until the next 
day. The brooders, well littered with dry sand 
or finely cut straw in run and hover, should 
now show 95 to 100 degrees of heat under the 
hover. The chicks will now be strong, lively 
and in good condition to transfer to the brooder 
hover, which should be done without chilling 
them. 

Feed very little the first day and give water 
with the chill off, using a good chick-fountain. 
Be sure the chicks have some fine, hard, sharp 
grit with the first feed and always thereafter. 
What to feed is largely a matter of circumstances. 
We use Cyphers Chick Food exclusively for 
first three or four weeks, and like it very much. 
After this we work in a little whole wheat and 
cracked corn, gradually leaving out the Cyphers 
Chick Food. 


85 


























PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


We use indoor brooders early in the season 
while yet cold, but later, when mild, use out¬ 
door brooders. As soon as the chicks are strong 
enough and weather suitable, they should be 
got out doors on the grass, in a little yard at 
first, but when old enough, they should have 
free range all summer and until snow comes in 
fall. When chicks are about eight weeks old, 
we begin feeding once a day a mash of ground 
grain in which we mix a very little high-grade 
beef scrap, gradually increasing the quantity 
of meat. 

Always keep fresh water in shade where the 
chicks can help themselves to it all day. 

We believe in the colony house plan for both 
chicks and old fowls, and free range for breeding 
stock so far as possible. We have colony 
houses for chicks near our corn fields and one 
near a half-acre blackberry patch, and find the 
shade and protection afforded by these crops 
very valuable to our growing chicks, and the 
crops and soil are also benefited by the foraging 
birds. 

One line of our breeding birds have houses in 
a small wooded valley through which flows a 
brook, making a typical place for the birds to 
roam at will. From stock kept in such a 
manner, you will not fail to get strongly fertile 
eggs and chickens of sturdy frame and robust 
constitution. 

The cull pullets and hens can be confined in 
large yards planted with fruit trees of any kind, 
or blackberry bushes, of which we find “Sny¬ 
der” the best all-round variety. We annu¬ 
ally gather good crops of blackberries and tree 
fruits from our poultry yards, while the trees 
and bushes make the yards seem more like 
free range and the confined fowls do much better 
than in the ordinary small, bare yard. 

Most of our colony houses for layers as well 
as the breeding houses are 16 ft. wide by 40 ft. 
long and 7\ ft. from bottom of sill (6 x 6) to 
top of plate (4 x 4). We set the sills about 30 
inches above the ground on a stone wall, cedar 
posts, or gas pipe; if on the latter we nail boards 
inside the sill extending to the ground, with 
windows in south side. Wall double with 
dead air space. Lower floor of single matched 
lumber or laid double with plain lumber and 
Neponset black sheathing paper between. 
Overhead on the plates are laid 2x6 joists 
notched two inches on lower side and spiked to 
side of each 2x4 rafter. On these joists is laid 
a floor of cheap lumber with wide cracks between 


each board. Over this the third-pitch shingle 
roof without paper under shingles. In each 
gable cut a door as large as will swing under 
roof. 

On this loft floor put about twelve inches 
loose straw. In very cold weather, when house 
is tightly closed, the vapor thrown off by the 
fowls will ascend through the cracks in loft 
floor and be absorbed in the straw above instead 
of being condensed on walls and roof in the 
form of frost, thus keeping the house warm and 
dry. On mild days we open the door in each 
gable over the straw and let the air draw 
through and dry out the loft and straw without 
any draught on the birds below. The straw loft 
also keeps the natural heat of the birds confined 
below, which makes the house warm and com¬ 
fortable. In hot weather these gable doors 
are left open day and night, and the draught 
through the loft,- together with ventilation from 
open doors and windows below, keeps the house 
cool. The basement, being light, is not infested 
by rats or other vermin, and is greatly enjoyed 
by the birds during summer as a resting and 
wallowing place in stormy weather, also when 
very warm. 

Our winter food for layers and breeders is 
about as follows: First comes water, slightly 
warmed in coldest weather, next a very light 
ration of whole mixed grains, wheat, corn, oats 
and buckwheat about equal parts, scattered in 
a heavy litter of straw on the floor. After this 
the birds are given mangel wurzel beets cut in 
halves and placed on the floor. They are thus 
kept busy all the morning scratching for grain, 
running to the water pan, picking at the man¬ 
gels and are getting very hungry, as the food has 
been scant and slow to get. About eleven 
o’clock we feed a warm mash in the troughs— 
all they will clean up in a very short time. 

Our mash is ground oats and wheat bran, 
about equal parts bv measure, to which is added 
corn meal, hominy feed or both, and sometimes 
wheat or buckwheat middlings. To this we 
add about half an ounce per hen of good meat 
meal or beef scraps, and one fourth as much 
old-process oil meal, and mix all thoroughly 
while dry. To this we sometimes add boiled 
and mashed potatoes, turnips or other vege¬ 
tables. Clover cut into f in. lengths, about 
two quarts to each 100 hens, is put in pails and 
boiling water turned on, then pails covered 
and the clover allowed to steam a half hour. 
The steamed clover or boiled vegetables are 


86 


PRACTICAL EGG FARMS. 


then thrown in the mash-box and hot water, in 
which has been dissolved a little salt, poured on. 
The whole mass is then thoroughly mixed until 
all this is moistened but not sloppy. Along in 
the afternoon we feed more mixed whole grain, 
scattered in the litter, all we think they can eat, 
and if any is left over they look for it in the 
morning. We ventilate the houses more or 
less every day by the windows, except on coldest 
days. 

The best mangel wurzels are the Golden Giant 
Intermediate, sold by W. Atlee Burpee and Co., 
Philadelphia, Pa., and we grow them as follows: 
Select a clean piece of ground and plow under 
a heavy dressing of stable or hen manure, 
harrow very thoroughly and remove all rubbish, 
broadcast on a good dressing of commercial 
fertilizer and harrow in. Mark out rows three 
feet apart, sow seed in drills, about twelve 
pounds to the acre, and cover about one inch. 
Soon as the plants are large enough (about one 
inch high) thin out to a foot apart in the row, 
then cultivate, hoe and keep clean. The roots 
should be gathered before any hard freezing and 
stored in bins or piles in a cool cellar. 

W e never store the hen manure as it is a costly 
job to “fix” the nitrogen and pulverize the 
manure. It is drawn directly from the poultry 
houses to the fields and spread, winter and 
summer, and gives grand results with all crops 
except potatoes, which it is liable to scab. 

When snow comes our chickens are taken 
from the colony houses in the fields and put in 
warmer winter quarters. During fall and early 
winter we dispose of a large share of our hens 
for breeding, laying or exhibition, thus making- 
room for the pullets. 

The cockerels are separated from the pullets, 
about August, and given free range on another 
part of the farm. They are kept in warm 
houses in winter that no combs may be frozen. 
Our best cockerels go in our own breeding pens 
or are sold for breeding or exhibition, and a 
great many of our pullets are sold and shipped 
all over the country. Sales of eggs for hatch¬ 
ing also help swell the income. Market eggs 
was our first object, and our plant was built up 
largely from the profits of their sale. When 
producing in large quantities we went to New 
York City and after some difficulty succeeded 
in placing our output at a good margin above 
regular market prices. Every egg must be 
new-laid, clean, good size, neatly and securely 


packed, to hold such trade, and you must have 
eggs in fall and winter. 

Nothing desirable comes without earnest 
endeavor, and the poultryman must expect to 
work hard and have for his motto, “ Eternal 
vigilance is the price of success.” 

—H. J. Blanchard. 


TWO COLONY-PLAN EGG FARMS. 

Some of the Advantages and Disadvantages of 
the Colony Plan. 

It was a lovely spring-like day early in No¬ 
vember, that we stepped off the train at Matta- 
poisett, far down the west side of Buzzard’s 
Bay, on a journey in search of poultry farms 
run upon the colony plan. A drive of a mile or 
thereabouts brought us to the farm of Mr. 
James B. Hamblin, which we found being turned 
into a poultry plant of about two thousand head 
of laying stock. The buildings are scattered 
over two large, sandy fields, and are from one 
hundred and fifty to two hundred feet apart; 
in one field, being set in rows, so as to drive up 
and down the roads to the houses to feed, etc., 
and in the other arranged conveniently for 
reaching with the horse and wagon. It is the 
intention to house forty birds in each house, 
8 x 12 feet in size, and give them free range. 
The food is loaded upon a wagon, which is 
driven about from one house to another, the 
driver jumping down at each house with a scoop 
(or measure) of food, which is fed in a few 
seconds, and the driver jumps up behind and 
drives on to the next. There is a broad step 
hung on behind the platform of the wagon, 
similar to that on baker’s and milkwagons, for 
the driver to ride on, and the wagon being on 
two wheels, (a “gig” practically) it operates 
easily. The horse soon becomes trained to its 
route, with the regular stops and starts, and once 
the horse is well trained the operation of feeding 
and watering is comparatively simple. Forty- 
three houses (of the fifty planned for) are com¬ 
pleted, the roofs being shingled, walls of rough 
boards, with the cracks battened, and a small 
ventilator hole being cut in each gable; but the 
houses are not all stocked as yet, some of them 
being still occupied by surplus cockerels which 
are being fattened for market. 

The stock which Mr. Hamblin now has is 
Light Brahmas and Rhode Island Reds, and 
crosses of Indian Game males on females of 
those two varieties; and it is the intention to 


87 



PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


run the plant chiefly as an egg-farm, although 
the incubators and brooders will be occupied in 
winter with chicks for broilers and roasters. 

We spent a few minutes inspecting the old, 
old dwelling house, built in 1703, still in good, 
habitable condition, and the old hand-hewn 
beams of oak look as though they were good for 
another two hundred years. The rooms are 
furnished with the old time furniture, and any¬ 
one enjoying the antique would have much 
pleasure in a ramble through that old house. 

Eating our lunch as we drove along the 
charming, woodsy roads, we came in due time 
to the poultry farm of Mr. Geo. E. Howland, of 
Fairhaven, who keeps about fourteen hundred 
head of fowls, for eggs only. Here can be seen 
in perfection the growth of a poultry farm. 
Mr. Howland bought the farm about ten years 
ago, and started in business with a few pens of 
fowls, housed in buildings of various sizes and 
shapes. The plant has gradually grown, ab¬ 
sorbing an adjoining farm on the north; and 
the buildings, which are scattered all over the 
two farms, are mostly of the lean-to-shed pat¬ 
tern. Some of these houses are of stone ends 
and back, the front and roof of wood; but the 
majority of them are wood, the walls shingled, 
the roofs of all being covered with tarred felting. 
Three or four houses, including two that they 
are just building, are sixty feet long, divided into 
five pens 11 x 12, with yards 12 x 100 in front; 
but all the others are scattered about the rocky 
fields, being about one hundred and fifty feet 
apart, but set in such a position as favored easy 
access by the horse and feed wagon. 

The stock here was mostly “ common hens,” 
although some first crosses were in evidence, 
and Leghorn and Minorca blood was easily pre¬ 
dominant. The object being eggs, and only 
eggs, the stock is bred for layers, and only enough 
chickens raised to reproduce about two-thirds 
of the laying stock, the best third of the old 
stock being carried over. Mr. Howland puts 
never more than twenty birds in a pen or house. 
As the latter average to be about 11x14 feet in 
size it is easy to see that they have (with abso¬ 
lutely free range) plenty of elbow room. We 
told him of Mr. Hamblin’s houses, which we had 
seen but an hour before, and that Mr. Hamblin 
planned to house forty birds in a house 8 x 12. 
“He’ll miss it if he does,” said Mr. Howland, “I 
have proved that I can get more eggs from 
twenty birds together than from forty in the 
same house; not only more eggs per hen, but, 


actually, more eggs per house. I have tried it 
and proved it.” As we fully agreed with him 
there was no chance for an argument. 

Mr. Howland sprays the insides of his houses 
twice a year with petroleum, and the effect is to 
darken them very much. We cannot but think 
whitewash would be superior, because it would 
be equally cleansing, and would make the houses 
lighter, more cheerful. 

Mr. Howland “ pickles ” his eggs in spring, 
when eggs are selling at a low price, and sells 
them when eggs are scarce. He put down 
seventy-five hundred dozen last spring, fifty 
barrels of one hundred and fifty dozen each, 
and two-thirds of them are already gone to 
market. He preserves them by the lime-water 
process, having an improvement upon that 
process by which he can keep the eggs about as 
fresh as when laid, and he warrants them to 
“ beat up into frosting,” or stand any other test 
of freshness. As the dealers are at this season 
glad to get them, and “running after him for 
more, ” Mr. Howland thinks there is a good 
profit in pickling eggs, in spite of the fact that 
there is quite a bill of labor attached. 

Mr. Howland hatches and raises his chickens 
by the old hen method, there being neither 
incubator nor brooder on the place; and he 
also doesn’t believe in cut fresh bone, having 
fed it for three years and discarded it. He 
says he can get more eggs from his fowls by 
using “beef scraps” for animal food than he 
can when feeding cut bone, hence he feeds beef 
scraps. His ration is a mash consisting of 
cooked vegetables mixed up with a meal which 
is five parts shorts and one part beef scraps, 
and a little condition powder in the morning, 
and in the afternoon a feed of corn, oats and 
wheat, equal parts. He buys three hundred to 
four hundred bushels of small potatoes each fall 
for winter feeding; as he docs no farming 
whatever he has to buy his vegetables. An¬ 
other thing that he does is to buy grain in large 
quantities when it is low in price. He has just 
got in about seventeen hundred bushels, as 
grain is now very low. 

We sometimes hear it said that large poultry- 
farms never have succeeded; but here is one 
that most certainly has. It has grown from 
small beginnings, an additional farm has been 
bought, a fine new dwelling house has been 
built, (the old cottage being moved back about 
fifty yards and used now as grain-store house), 
and there are very many evidences of a pros- 


88 


—. . . . "" - q 


PRACTICAL EGG FARMS. 



Colony Houses at Little Compton, R. I., Showing the Cart for Food and Water. 


perous condition of things. Mr. Howland 
doesn’t advertise because he has nothing to 
sell. He manufactures eggs and the market 
takes all he can produce, and pays him cash for 
them, and his farm is an egg-farm and nothing 
else—no side issues, nothing to interfere with 
the production of eggs. 


MR. WILBUR’S GREAT POULTRY FARM. 

The Colony Plan and Rhode Island Reds. 

A poultry farm which carries four thousand 
head of laying stock may fairly be considered 
“great.” In fact, we believe it is the greatest 
we have ever visited or heard of, and as we 
think we should have heard of it if there had 
been one larger, we will assume that this is the 
largest poultry farm in the United States; and 
is, consequently, the largest in the world. It 
goes without saying that the United States is a 
long way ahead of every other country in poul¬ 
try culture, hence what is greatest in poultry 
here is the greatest in the world. Isaac Wilbur, 
Esq., of Little Compton, R. I., is the poultry 
farmer we have in mind, and his poultry farm 
and poultry business, the result of thirty or 
more years of growth, is the subject of our 
sketch. 

Mr. Wilbur did not begin life as the tradition¬ 
al poor boy, nor did he buy his farm with a 
small payment down and a big mortgage. His 
farm of two hundred acres has been the home 
of the Wilburs for many generations, and the 
men of the family have been prominent citizens— 
his grandfather, whose name he bears, having 


been governor of the state and a leader in public 
affairs in his day. A man of culture and refine¬ 
ment himself, Mr. Wilbur is a type of the best 
class of farmer-citizen of America, the “solid 
men” of our country. 

Forty years ago Mr. Wilbur farmed by the 
old methods, beef for market being his main 
stay, for which business his excellent natural- 
grass land is well adapted. Every farmer kept 
a flock of hens in those days, chiefly for eggs 
and poultry meat for the table, and some eggs 
and dressed poultry were each year sold to 
market. As Mr. Wilbur is a dozen miles from 
a railroad and four miles from a steamboat 
wharf, he saw the advantage of a concentrated 
market product, decided to keep two flocks of 
fowls instead of one, and built a second house 
for the other flock. There were “croakers” 
even in those days, and one conservative neigh¬ 
bor remonstrated with him for his foolishness in 
building a second poultry house. “Why,” 
said he, “you’ll glut the market with eggs, 
you’ll knock the bottom all out of the business 
with over production!” As Mr. Wilbur’s two 
houses have increased to a hundred, and as, 
influenced by his example and encouraging 
words, many of his townsmen are doing like¬ 
wise, and selling their eggs to him, until Mr. W. 
handles and ships one hundred and thirty 
thousand to one hundred and fifty thousand 
dozen eggs in a year, the croaker would seem 
to have been shortsighted. 

Mr. Wilbur keeps the fowls on the colony plan, 
housing about forty head in a house 8 x 10 or 
8 x 12 feet in size, these houses being about one 


89 










PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


hundred and fifty feet apart, set out in long rows 
over gently sloping fields. He has one hundred 
of these houses, scattered over three or four 
fields. The food is loaded on to a low wagon, 
which is driven about to each house in turn, 
the attendant feeding as he goes; at the after¬ 
noon feeding the eggs are collected. The fowls 
are fed twice a day. The morning feed is a 
mash of cooked vegetables and mixed meals; 
this “mash” is made up in the afternoon of the 
day before; the afternoon feed is whole corn 
the year round. It is none of our business, 
but it seemed a little droll to find western (dent) 
corn brought to this out-of-the-way corner of 
the land, teamed four miles from the steam¬ 
boat landing, and fed to fowls! That may be 
economy of labor, but we doubt it—which is 
wholly outside of the question of the unwisdom 
of feeding so much corn. We could not but 
think that a more varied food-ration would 
induce a greater egg-yield per fowl; but as we 
were unable to get a statement of what the egg 
yield per fowl is we can only guess at this. 

The houses are of the simplest and cheapest, 
could be built for twenty dollars apiece, prob¬ 
ably. Some of them are of the double-pitch 
roof pattern, others of the sloping (shed) roof 
pattern; but all are alike in being built of the 
cheapest unmatched lumber, and all are inno¬ 
cent of shingles or roofing paper on roof and 
walls. Of course they are thoroughly ventilated, 
the numerous cracks between the boards ad¬ 
mitting fresh air in abundance, and sunshine 
and rain with absolute impartiality. In that 
location, close upon the seashore, snow is 
practically unknown, and the fowls can run at 
large every day in the year; and that free range, 
with unlimited fresh air through the houses, 
keeps the fowls in perfect health. Whether 
fowls so housed and cared for will produce as 
many eggs in a year as fowls better housed, and 
fed a more varied food-ration, may well be 
doubted. We would like much to see a test 
made there, of shingling (or roof papering) 
the roofs and walls of one row of houses, putting 
half the number of birds in each of those 
houses, and feeding them a balanced ration. 
We believe the birds in those houses would lay 
nearly twice the number of eggs in a year, and 
that three-fourths of that greater egg yield 
would come in the fall and winter, when eggs 
pay the creamy profit. This could only be de¬ 
termined by a careful experiment carried 


through a whole year, the record being kept of 
the egg yield of each houseful. 

Another experiment we hope Mr. Wilbur will 
try is adding a small (say 6 x 8 or 8 x 8) 
scratching shed on the west end of some of those 
houses. The advantages of such a shed would 
be very great in stormy weather, of which they 
have quite a little there on the coast. That Mr. 
Wilbur is not himself wholly satisfied with his 
houses and the colony plan, we judge from the 
fact that he is planning to build a long, scratch- 
ing-shed house on land east of his present plant, 
and below his son’s residence. 

While considering the colony house plan we 
will digress to remark that we have found two 
or three other cases of a desire to try the long- 
house method. Mr. Mapes, for example, of 
Middletown, N. Y., has (or his son has) just 
built a house 320 x 16 feet, divided into twenty 
pens 12 x 16, and an alleyway four feet wide 
extending the entire length of the building; 
and Mr. Howland of Fairhaven is building his 
later buildings each sixty feet long, divided into 
five pens 12 x 12, and with 12 x 100 feet yards 
adjoining. From these recent examples we 
may infer that the colony plan of housing poul- 
tr}^ is not the greatest success; if it were these 
men would not be trying something else. 

To our mind the strongest argument against 
the colony plan is that too much of the fowls’ 
physical energy is wasted in “ranging,” energy 
which if properly conserved will turn to egg 
production. We try to plan for house room 
and yard room enough for good health, and to 
keep green grass accessible all the growing 
season—and we believe we get the best egg 
product by that plan; which, for want of a better 
name, we call the semi-confinement plan. 

The bulk of Mr. Wilbur’s stock is the Rhode 
Island Reds, a variety well known in southern 
Massachu,setts and Rhode Island, and famous 
for both egg production and dressed poultry. 
They probably originated in crosses of the old 
Shanghai fowls with native stock. Of this, 
however, there is no proof; and the fact that in 
one section of that country they were known as 
“Malays,” is suggestive of their being an im¬ 
portation originally from an eastern country. 
That they are a very much mixed stock is shown 
by their breeding both rose and single combs, 
and both clean and feathered legs—and it will 
take time to “ establish ” them, fix a type. The 
single combed and clean legged bird seems best 
suited to meet the popular taste, and that is the 


90 


PRACTICAL EGG FARMS. 



Oolony-Farm Houses Brought Together 

type of bird Mr. Wilbur is selecting for his 
breeding stock. The R. I. Reds lay a beautiful 
brown egg, good proof of their Asiatic ancestry; 
and their skin is a rich yellow, making them ex¬ 
tremely attractive as dressed poultry. They 
are smaller than both P. Rocks and Wyandottes, 
hence exactly hit the popular taste in size, the 
great demand being for chickens and fowls 
dressing eight to ten pounds the pair. 

The typical males are of a deep, rich buff 
color, with greenish-black tail and greenish- 
black stripe in hackle. The females are a lighter 
buff, many of them (especially after the adult 
molt) quite light and showing some stripe in 
hackle and color in tail. Being wonderfully 
hardy, both as chickens and fowls, and quiet and 
docile, no wonder the farmers of that region like 
them as “business fowls.” 

We greatly enjoyed talking “hens” with Mr. 
Wilbur, as we walked over the farm, notwith¬ 
standing the various matters we have described; 
but we would fail of our object if we gave our 
readers the idea that all of his business is poultry 
and eggs. In addition to his own four thousand 
hens he buys up the poultry and eggs from a 
considerable region about there, and ships some 
one hundred and thirty thousand to one hun¬ 
dred and fifty thousand dozen eggs to market 
yearly. How many tons of dressed poultry he 
ships we do not know; but four men were busy 
dressing fowls, chickens and ducks the day we 
were there, and one was dressing lambs as Air. 
Wilbur keeps about one hundred sheep, and 
sends considerable mutton and lambs to market. 
He also raises veal, keeping about forty cows 
for that purpose, buying the calves for fattening 
from farmers about; on the whole his farming 
is considerably varied—and he makes it pay. 


for Winter, de Wolf Farm, Bristol, R. I. 

He told us it was his intention to make a profit 
out of each line of farm work, so that no part of 
the farm should be a tax upon another part. 

Such an example of profitable farming is the 
best answer to those that croak—“ Farming 
don’t pay nohow!” and what a record such a 
man as Mr. Wilbur makes in a community. 
What stability, for instance, is suggested in the 
fact that one of his men has been in his employ 
continuously for forty-two years. Indeed, the 
cook in the kitchen claims to have been in his 
employ still longer, but Mr. W. smilingly says 
her record was broken by a not altogether suc¬ 
cessful matrimonial venture, so that she cannot 
claim continuous service. Such facts point a 
moral in these days of rapid transformation in 
farm help. Isn’t it splendid that the stability 
of character which unites master and servants 
in a long life-work together is one of the aids to 
making farming pay? —Form Poultry. 



91 












PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


Some Advantages and Disadvantages of the 
Colony Plan. 

It could be stated roughly that the advantages 
are economy of house construction, complete 
isolation of each family, and free range, but we 
feel bound to saj r we believe the lessened cost of 
construction is more than counterbalanced by 
the enhanced cost of operation. The greater 
cost of construction of long houses and yards 
demands an immediate investment of money, 
requires more ready capital at the start, while 
the increased cost of operation is an annual tax, 
a year in and year out expenditure of time and 
muscle. True it is usually the muscle of a hired 
man and horse, but hired men’s wages eat into 
the income rapidly, and horses have to be fed; 
hence we feel bound to say frankly that the 
largest advantages are on the side of the long- 
house plan. 

We have visited several colony-plan farms, 
Mr. Hayward’s, Hancock, N. H., Mr. Wilbur’s, 
Little Compton, R, I., “Tanglewood,” East 
Greenwich, R. I. (now defunct), and others 
besides Mr. Hamblin’s and Mr. Howland’s. 

Mr. Hayward’s is farthest north, and being 
far back from the seashore, is much more effect¬ 
ed by snow and cold than the others mentioned, 
which are close upon tide water and practically 
free from the invasion of snow, which must 
mean considerable in the expense of operating. 
Mr. Hayward’s buildings are scattered over 
half a mile or more of rocky hillside, and the 
labor of “breaking roads” to them in such a 
snowy, blowy winter as we had last winter must 
be a heavy handicap. The houses are “ A ” 
shaped, eight feet square on the ground, and 
house a family of twelve birds each. As he has 
about three hundred of these houses set about 
one hundred feet apart, and told us they cost 
about $8.00 apiece, that means an investment 
of but $2,400 of cash to house three thousand 
six hundred head of fowls. It would be well 
to note here that Mr. Hayward claimed to clear 
only about one dollar apiece on each fowl. 

Mr. Hamblin’s houses are 8 x 12, and intended 
to house forty birds in each; while Mr. How¬ 
land’s houses are 11x14 (average, they vary a 
trifle), and he houses twenty birds in each. Mr. 
Wilbur’s houses average about 8 x 10, and he 
houses twenty-five to thirty head in each. We 
feel bound to say (as did Mr. Howland when we 
were discussing Mr. Hamblin’s plans), that we 
believe the better all-round results and better 
profit per hen can be obtained from twenty birds 


in a family than thirty or forty in the same house- 
room. Mr. Howland, a veteran of many year’s 
experience, was emphatic in saying that he could 
get fully as many eggs in a year from twenty 
birds in a house as he could from forty in the 
same house. In the one case he had bought 
the food for twenty birds, and in the other for 
forty; the egg yield being practically the same 
the net profit is the greater with twenty birds. 

This is a digression, perhaps a justifiable one, 
and we are prompted to make another to speak 
of open-front scratching sheds, which could be so 
easily and cheaply added to the Hamblin, 
Howland and Wilbur type of house. A simple 
lean-to roof, with a west wall (say) three feet 
high, and a north end would cost but very little, 
and would be of immense advantage for giving 
the birds fresh air and exercise in the open air. 
With such an open-front shed 8 x 8 or 8 x 10, 
these houses would easily carry twenty-five or 
thirty fowls; and we feel certain they would lay 
enough more eggs every year to pay for the 
shed. 

We stated at the outset that the apparent 
advantages of the colony plan were: 1st.—Econ¬ 
omy of housing; 2nd.—Complete isolation of 
each family; 3d.—Free range. The cheaper 
construction will be conceded without discus¬ 
sion ; the cheaply built (not permanent) houses, 
without yards, cost very much less per head of 
fowls housed than the substantially built long- 
houses and yards. But, as we said above, this 
apparent advantage is fully counterbalanced 
by the greater labor of feeding and caring for the 
fowls; the long-house plan requires more capital 
put into buildings at the outset, but minimizes 
the expenditure of labor; the colony-plan 
requires less capital at the outset, but exacts the 
maximum of labor. 

The complete isolation of each family is not 
so certain as some would think unless the houses 
are two hundred or more feet apart. A fowl 
will take a notion to “go visiting,” and enters 
another flock; or she may wander so far in 
search of insects, etc., that she doesn’t know 
which of the three or four houses nearest her 
(all alike) is hers, and goes to the wrong one. 
This is of little consequence if all are in good 
health; if biddy lays in house number one, or 
number two, or three, or four, ’tis all the same 
to the owner. 

In case of an outbreak of disease, however, if 
it can be confined to one house much is gained. 
Can this be done? Take roup, one of our worst 


92 


PRACTICAL EGG FARMS. 


scourges, for example. We have been told of a 
case in Hammonton, N. J., where a broiler-man 
lost three thousand chickens in one season from 
roup, which he claimed was brought from a 
neighbor’s brooder house, either in the clothing 
or in the dirt adhering to the shoes of a visitor. 
With our present hazy knowledge of roup we 
will not say such a case is not possible; we would 
rather say that it is barely possible, but highly 
improbable. If, however, the contagion was so 
carried to the Hammonton man’s brooder 
house, it could be similarly carried from one 
house to all the others of a colony farm, provid¬ 
ed, as is usually the case, the one attendant 
went to all in turn. In “ Hens by the Acre,” in 
the Rural New Yorker, Mr. Collingwood tells us 
about a colony-plan farm in Orange county, 
New York, where one thousand hens are kept, 
and says:—“The reason why we have not 
heard from the place is that a scourge of roup 
swept through the flocks last year, and Mr. 
Mapes has been so busy clearing it out that he 
has had no time to talk. Now that the disease 
has been about wiped out, he is going to tell us 
how he did it.” As these fowls were kept in 
flocks of forty, in colony-plan houses scattered 
over a rocky pasture, and the “ scourge of roup 
swept through them.” it would look as though 
the complete isolation was more apparent than 
real. 

The other advantage we have to consider is 
free range,—and we have strong doubts about 
this being an advantage. Mr. Josiah Quincy tells 
us in his excellent little book on “Soiling,” that 
the most profitable method of conducting a 
milk-farm is to keep the cows confined in the 
stable constantly, excepting (say) a couple of 
hours in mid forenoon and a couple of hours in 
mid afternoon for healthful exercise; just 


sufficient exercise to promote digestion and 
keep the cows in good health. He tells us that 
the largest possible milk flow will be promoted 
by this method, and no food energy wasted in 
“ranging.” Just so with fowls, if kept for 
profit. Just enough exercise in the open air to 
promote digestion and the turning of the food 
energy into eggs, is the best method; and we 
firmly believe the semi-confinement plan is that 
method. By semi-confinement we mean hav¬ 
ing a roosting-laying room, adjoining it an open- 
front scratching shed, and, extending south 
(preferably) from this pen and shed a yard 
sufficiently large to give each fowl from seventy- 
five to one hundred square feet of yard room. 
By this plan the energies of the fowl are conserv¬ 
ed and turned into egg production—i. e. into 
profit, instead of being dissipated in wide rang¬ 
ing. If the object is “ long life,” we say unhesi¬ 
tatingly that the free range plan is the better— 
but we don’t keep fowls to see how long we can 
make them live. On our farm we intend to get 
the best possible egg yield for ten or eleven 
months after the fowls reach laying maturity , and 
then turn them off to market, to make room for 
another generation of eager layers. It is well 
known that pullets are far the best egg pro¬ 
ducers. It is true year-old hens lay well, but 
no one denies that pullets lay better; hence, we 
argue, it is better to get the hens out of the way, 
even if they are still laying, and give their places 
to well matured pullets. Then keep these 
pullets on the semi-confinement plan, get the 
best possible egg yield from them till the rccrn 
is again wanted for the incoming layers, and so 
on year after year. We believe there is a much 
better profit in fowls kept in this manner than 
in fowls kept by the colony plan. j>- 

—Farm Poultry. 



93 














Chapter VI. 

FOODS AND FEEDING. BEST RATION FOR EGG PRODUCTION. SOME 

TESTED EGG RATIONS. 


r OOD is required to repair bodily waste 
and maintain the bodily strength. 
The materials of which the body 
consists are continually breaking 
down, being consumed and passed 
off as waste, and are being replaced by new 
materials supplied through the blood from the 
food eaten; to keep the body in a healthy and 
vigorous condition there must be a constant 
supply of new material to take the place of the 
old. If this supply of new material is insuffi¬ 
cient hunger manifests itself, and if the supply 
is cut off for a considerable time death may 
result. To keep up this supply of new material 
is the chief function of food, but in addition the 
food maintains the heat of the body, furnishes 
the force or energy which enables muscular 
movement, and also enables the performing of 
the necessary functions of the body. In young 
animals growth has to be made, and while that 
growth is made by supplying new material to 
take the place of the old, there is also an excess 
of new material necessary to make the growth, 
or development. In many matured animals 
milk or eggs are secreted, and for this purpose 
a supply of food is required in excess of the 
normal bodily wants, and to supply food of the 
right proportion to meet the bodily require¬ 
ments of the animal without a w'aste of the food 
material, constitutes the science of feeding. 

There are many different methods of feeding 
fowls, and not a few habits of feeding which 
can be characterized as wholly lacking in 
method; this is unfortunate because method and 
regularity in feeding are most important for 
best results. It is hardly the province of this 
book to enter into the question of the chemical 
constituents of foods; we shall better serve the 
interests of our readers by describing several 
methods of feeding which have been successful 
in many hands, and the rations here given are 
those of successful poultrymen. 

In the articles selected for this chapter the 
feeding of a “ mash ” for breakfast is very 


generally recommended, hence we desire to call 
especial attention to the dry-feeding method 
described by Mr. Park. It is perhaps too early 
yet to decide that all-dry-food will give as good 
(or substantially as good) results as the mash- 
for-breakfast method of feeding; if it should be 
demonstrated that it induces (substantially) as 
good an egg yield with the acknowledged better 
average health of the flocks, then the dry-feed¬ 
ing method is the better. It certainly effects 
a considerable saving in labor and as there has 
been, on the part of not a few poultry keepers, 
an abuse of mash-feeding which has induced 
liver-disease and other disasters, the dry-feed¬ 
ing method deserves careful study. 

The right feeding of fowls is not at all a diffi¬ 
cult matter; the prime essentials are a proper 
proportion and a sufficient quantity; with a 
variety of food elements provided in sufficient 
quantity, the fowls will properly “balance” 
the ration. Feed a variety; feed in sufficient 
quantity, but don’t overfeed; feed systemati¬ 
cally and regularly—these are the rules for 
successful poultry feeding. 


FEEDING FOWLS FOR EGGS. 

Feed a Variety; Do Not Overfeed. An Excel¬ 
lent Food Ration and Feeding Method. 

Constant discussion of the question of “ feed¬ 
ing fowls for eggs ” has caused many to think it 
a very difficult matter, which it is not, if one 
uses plain, common sense, and feeds only what 
the fowls will clean up quickly. The two great¬ 
est stumbling blocks for the beginner are a lack 
of a variety of food-elements, and overfeeding. 
A small flock of fowls, ranging at will through 
and around the farm buildings, will pick up half 
their living, and greatly vary the food-elements 
consumed by eating quantities of insects and 
worms, grass seeds from the hay mow, etc., and 
in winter will eat the leaves, etc., off the hay 
(especially clover); and by these pickings they 



FOODS AND FEEDING. 



Eggs of “Quality,” the Kind for which a Good Premium is Paid. Black Minorca 
Eggs, Raised by C. C. Pape, Fort Wayne, Ind. 


“balance” the over-supply of 
starch in the grain that is 
thrown to them. Fowls rang¬ 
ing at will, however, lay de¬ 
cidedly fewer eggs than those 
kept in semi-confinement and 
given only so much range as 
promotes reasonably good 
health. For fowls kept in 
houses and yards it is neces¬ 
sary that we consider variety 
in the food given them, and if 
we want them to lay eggs we 
must give them in the food the 
materials of which to make 
eggs. It is not at all neces¬ 
sary for the beginner to bother 
about the chemical elements 
of food, or worry over the 
exact proportions of carbohy¬ 
drates or nitrogenous matter, 
if he will see that the fowls 
get enough to eat without 
their getting too much, and 
that they get a variety of 
food-elements in different 
grains,with green food (“ rough- 
age”) and animal food in 
place of the insects, worms, etc., they get 
when ranging at will. 

We give below a feeding method which was 
worked out by the writer on a farm on which 
300 or 400 fowls were kept for eggs, and the 
materials used were ordinary farm-grains, etc., 
supplemented by what could easily be obtained 
at a feed mill in town. This ration was not 
weighed in ounces and decimals of ounces; the 
proportions were to be from the grain bins or 
barrels in scoopfuls, as stated, and this food 
ration gave excellent results both in egg yield 
and the healthfulness of the flocks. This feed¬ 
ing method was quoted by Mr. John H. Robin¬ 
son in his book “ Winter Eggs, How to Get 
Them,” and is there recommended to be “one 
of the best ever devised; aud has probably been 
adopted with gratifying results by more poultry 
keepers than any other ever published. * * * 

The method as a whole is a good one, adapted 
to a wide range of circumstances, and anyone 
who follows it closely may know that if he does 
not get eggs it is not the fault of the ration. 
Another endorsement of this feeding ration 
came from the Rhode Island Agricultural College. 
Prof. A. A. Brigham had it compounded and 


analyzed by the Poultry Class there, and said it 
was “a very well balanced ration, probably as 
near perfect as could be made with the materials 
available on the average farm.” This ration, 
we ought to add, has been given to the public 
many times from Farmers’ Institute platforms, 
and in various papers and books. 

“ Five mornings in the week we feed a mash 
made up of about a third cooked vegetables 
mashed fine, or cut clover cooked by being 
brought to a boiling heat in water, an equal 
amount of boiling water added, a heaping tea¬ 
spoonful of salt to a bucketful; a heaping tea- 
spoonful of ginger two days, then cayenne one 
day, ginger two days, then powdered charcoal 
one; and into this is stirred mixed meal until 
the mash is as stiff as a strong arm can make it. 

“ This mixed meal consists of one part each of 
corn meal, fine middlings, bran, ground oats 
and meat meal, a scoop or dipper of each being 
dipped in turn into a bag, and poured from the 
bag into the meal barrel, from which it is dipped 
into a mash. We consider the thorough 
mixing of these meals a considerable factor in 
making a good mash. 


95 







PROFITABLE EGG FARMING 


“ When we have cut fresh bone in abundance 
we omit the meat meal from the mixture; ordi¬ 
narily we have only about half rations of cut 
bone to go around, so use, regularly, half the 
amount of meat meal to make up the deficiency. 

“The foundation of the mash is the cooked 
vegetables, which may be refuse potatoes, beets, 
carrots, turnips, onions (anything in the vege¬ 
table line), and into the pot goes the table waste, 
potato parings, etc., and the potato, squash 
and apple parings from the kitchen. The 
potatoes or beets, etc., are washed before putting 
on to cook, and the mess when boiled is sweet 
and savory. If one has a set kettle in which to 
stir up the mash and there leave it to cook in 
its own heat and the heat of the brick work, 
they are fortunate—we haven’t, and have to 
make ours up in common water pails. 

“The vegetable or clover kettle is put on 
before sitting down to dinner, usually, and an¬ 
other kettle of water to be boiling hot when 
wanted. When the vegetables are cooked, 
we set out four buckets in a row, dip out the 
vegetables into the buckets about equally, mash 
them thoroughly, add the salt—always—and 
the condiment of the day, add boiling water till 
the bucket is two-thirds full, then stir in the 
mixed meal till it is stiff and firm; then cover 
and set away to cook in its own heat. 

“Clover rowen (second-crop-clover) cut fine 
makes an excellent foundation for the mash, and 
two or three days of the week in winter we use 
that instead of vegetables. We fill two kettles 
with the cut clover and as much cold water as 
they will conveniently hold, and heat to a boil. 
The clover is ladled out into the buckets about 
equally, the clover-tea added and boiling hot 
water as before, then salt and the stimulating 
condiment and the meal stirred in. 

“ The morning mash is fed in troughs large 
enough so that all of the fifteen fowls in a pen 
can get about it at one time—another import¬ 
ant factor, because if the trough is small some 
of the birds have to stand back and wait for the 
second table, and when their chance does come 
there is nothing left for them. With a trough 
four feet long by six inches wide there is plenty 
of room, and if a biddy is driven away from one 
place she runs around and goes to eating at 
another, and thus all get a share. 

“ Our fowls have exercise ground in summer in 
yards 125 x 12 feet, which gives them a grass 
run (with growing grass always in the growing 
season), and they will take ample exercise in 


plea-sant’weather. To keep them out of doors 
the noon feed of whole barley (or buckwheat), 
and night feed (before sunset) of wheat or corn 
are scattered upon a graveled space immediately 
in front of the houses. Each family of fifteen 
has a pen within the house twelve feet square, 
or one hundred and forty-four square feet of 
floor space, which gives about ten square feet 
per fowl. The floor is the earth, covered about 
six inches deep with screened gravel. On this 
gravel the grain is scattered in stormy weather 
in spring, summer and early fall, when we want 
the birds to stay indoors. When cold weather 
approaches exercise must be stimulated, and we 
cover the pen floors three or four inches deep 
with coarse meadow hay or common straw, 
into which the grain is scattered and the biddies 
have to dig it out. Some poultrymen use dry 
leaves for pen litter; chaff from a threshing 
mill would be most excellent (nothing could be 
better), and we have found one or two cases 
where common cornstalks were used. With us, 
straw or meadow hay is most easily obtained, 
and we use that. What the scratching 
material is, is of far less importance than that 
the scratching material be there. 

“ Whole wheat is the best grain food for fowls, 
whole barley is the next best and buckwheat 
next. We make barley or buckwheat the noon 
feed five days in the week, and wheat the night 
feed five or six days in the week. We do not 
make the mash on Sunday because we want to 
reduce the work to its lowest terms on that day, 
doing no more than the regular feedings and 
waterings, and collecting the eggs. 

“Monday, we feed oats (or barley), wheat, 
whole corn. 

Tuesday, mash, barley (or buckwheat), 
wheat. 

Wednesday, mash, cut bone, wheat:. 

Thursday, oats, barley, wheat (or corn). 

Friday, mash, barley, wheat. 

Saturday, mash, cut bone, wheat. 

Sunday, mash, barley (or buckwheat), wheat. 

“Two feeds of cut bone each week, one or 
two of whole oats, and one or two of whole corn 
(according to the season), give variety to our 
ration, and to that are added whole cabbages 
hung in the pens in cold weather to tempt pick¬ 
ing them to get green food; or turnips, or 
beets, or carrots are split in halves and placed 
in the pens, to be picked to pieces and eaten. 

“Ground oyster shells are always accessible, 
and fresh water, replenished three times a day 


96 


FOODS AND FEEDING. 


(warm in winter), and the water pans are care¬ 
fully rinsed every day.” 

Feeding for Eggs: How Much. 

The problem, as every poultryman knows, is 
not what to feed, but how much. If you do 
not believe this write the editor of your favorite 
poultry paper and ask him how much food you 
.should give a flock of 15 hens, and see what he 
will say. It takes a great deal of care to steer 
between over-feeding on the one hand and under¬ 
feeding on the other. I believe, however, that 
there is a scientific principle underlying the 
matter, and think that after a great deal of 
study and experimentation I have discovered 
the principle. 

In order to determine how much to feed we 
must again interrogate Nature. Before we had 
begun to dissect the crop of the hen we had 
killed, suppose we had put it on the scales to 
ascertain its weight. If the hen from which 
the crop was taken was of an American breed, if 
she had been running in the fields all day and 
just before she had been killed had been given 
all the corn that she would eat, her crop with 
its contents would weigh not far from six ounces. 
Allowing that two ounces of food have 
passed from the crop into the gizzard during 
the day, and from the gizzard into the intestines, 
it will be seen that when a hen is on the range, 
supplied with abundance of food, she will con¬ 
sume about eight ounces of food in the course 
of 24 hours. It would seem therefore that this 
is the amount of food a hen needs to supply all 
the demands of her system and leave a margin 
for egg production. But before we settle down 
to this conclusion there are some things to be 
taken into consideration. On the range the 
hen has had plenty of exercise, and needs more 
food to supply the tissue lost than when in con¬ 
finement. On the range food is more bulky and 
less nutritious than the food the hen receives in 
her pen. It contains a larger proportion of 
grass and vegetables. It is probable that in 
the pen, where the hen does not exercise so 
freely as she does on the range and where her 
food is more concentrated, she docs not need 
so much food by one-fourth as she does when at 
liberty. Six ounces of food a day ought there¬ 
fore to be ample to supply all the needs of a hen 
in confinement. 

Suppose we try a little experiment to verify 
this conclusion. Let us take a laying hen a 
year old and shut her up in a pen by herself, 


feeding her but once a day, but giving her all 
she will eat at this meal. The food we set 
before her is a mash containing all the elements 
for nutrition and egg production. We will find 
that the hen will continue to thrive and lay eggs 
on six ounces of food a day. There will be a 
falling off of egg production, owing to the close 
confinement and change in methods of feeding, 
but the hen will live and lay on six ounces of 
food a day. We are now confirmed in our 
conviction, that in the American breeds six 
ounces of food a day is about the normal amount 
for a hen in confinement. Whether she needs 
a little more or a little less must be determined 
by individual experimentation. 

Six ounces of food a day for a hen weighing 
six pounds seems at first sight an enormous 
quantity. In the same ratio a man weighing 
160 pounds would consume 10 pounds of food 
every 24 hours. But before we dismiss the 
matter as absurd, let us consider a moment. 
The hen’s food is not so concentrated as the 
man’s. It contains far less nutriment in pro¬ 
portion to bulk. A considerable proportion of 
it will be voided in the form of excrement. Then 
the hen has a task to perform such as is imposeel 
upon few other creatures. She is expected to 
lay an egg weighing not less than two ounces; 
anel an egg, as everyone knows, is one of the 
richest of food-products. Deduct from the six 
ounces of food two ounces for waste anel two 
ounces for egg production, and it will be seen 
that only two ounces are left to repair the tis¬ 
sues anel maintain the temperature of the body. 
The laying hen needs a generous diet, anel these 
doctrinaires who advocate keeping her in a 
state of semi-starvation have no support in rea¬ 
son for their theory. 

—From “200 Eggs a Year ptr Hen: How to G(t 

Them.” 



97 



PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


PRODUCING EGGS AT MINIMUM COST. 

Digestible Nutrients Which Should Be Fed to 

Laying Stock to Furnish the Chemical 
Constituents of the Egg and Main¬ 
tain the Hen in Health and 
Activity—Properties of 
Protein and Nitrog¬ 
enous Materials. 

BY JAMES It. COVERT, 

Of the United States Experiment Stations, Department of 
Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 

As cold weather approaches and the market¬ 
ability of eggs increases, the problem of how to 
increase the yield of that toothsome article be¬ 
comes interesting. The veteran, the amateur, 
and the good housewife vie with each other in 
an endeavor to compound a ration which shall 
produce the maximum yield of eggs at minimum 
food-cost. The public is awakening to a realiz¬ 
ation of_the food value of the egg. More atten¬ 
tion is given the subject of feeding, and the 
agricultural press is devoting more space to 
articles on poultry. Some of the Experiment 
Stations are investigating and throwing light 
in many hitherto dark corners. Their conclu¬ 
sions in many cases closely coincide with the 
teachings of experience and show conclusively 
that correct feeding is both a science and an art. 

If to the sum total of the chemical constitu¬ 
ents in the eggs produced during a given season, 
we add the materials required to maintain the 


hen in health and activity, we have approxi¬ 
mately the amount of digestible nutrients which 
should be present in her food. As we all know, 
the digestible nutrients in food-articles vary in 
amount and quality, and some breeds of chick¬ 
ens return a greater profit in eggs for the food 
consumed than others. This article, however, 
is confined to the subject of rations which must 
be prepared with due regard to the purposes 
for which the chickens are kept. Thus, if we 
desire to produce flesh we must feed a ration 
richer in flesh forming ingredients than, if we 
were feeding for eggs which recpiire nitrogenous 
materials. Reports of digestion experiments 
with fowls are seldom met with, presumably be¬ 
cause they are not often undertaken. The 
public should take an interest in the matter and 
demand of those expert in the determination of 
feeding problems the solution of this question. 

It is assumed that the nutritive ratio for the 
laying hen and the milch cow should be approxi¬ 
mately the same. Their products closely re¬ 
semble each other, but their relative actual cost 
makes milk the much cheaper food-article for 
man, especially in the larger cities. The 
German feeding standard for feeding milch cows 
calls for 15.4 lbs. total nutritive substance in the 
digestible portion of her food, these nutritive 
substances to be proportioned as follows: Pro¬ 
tein, 2.5 lbs.; carbohydrates 12.5 lbs.; and 
ether extract, or fat, 0.4 lbs. This gives a 

nutritive ratio of 
1:5.4. In other 
words, to every 
pound of protein 
there are 5.4 
pounds of nit r o- 
genous materials. 

The nutritive 
ratio may be de¬ 
termined by multi¬ 
plying the ether 
extract by 22, add¬ 
ing to this product 
the carbohydrates, 
a n d dividing b y 
the protein. Each 
pound of fat or 
ether extract is 
assumed to have a 
feeding equivalent 
of 2.2 pounds car¬ 
bohydrates. The 
author has been 



98 





FOODS AND FEEDING. 


unable to find the reports of any experiments 
determining the amounts of these materials 
necessary for fowls. For want of definite in¬ 
formation on several points he is unable to do 
the subject justice, but with many apologies and 
a few misgivings he will attempt to formulate a 
ration which shall be practicable for the farmer. 

It is usual to feed a ration of soft foods in the 
morning, with a whole grain ration at night. 
We will suppose we have our choice of the 
following feeding stuffs: Bran, corn meal, ground 
oats, oil cake, cotton-seed meal, beef and blood 
meal, red clover hay, skim milk, with oats, rye, 
wheat, and corn for a whole grain ration. The 
following table gives the digestible nutrients 
found in 100 pounds of each of these and a few 
other articles: 


Percentage Digestible Matter in American 
Feeding Stuffs. 


Feeding Stuff. 

Crude 

Protein. 

Carbohy¬ 

drates. 

Ether 

Extract. 

Red Clover Hay.... 

Per cent. 

6.5 

Per cent. 

34.9 

Per cent. 

1.6 

Alfalfa Hav. 

7.6 

37.8 

1.3 

Cowpea Hav. 

8.1 

37.3 

1.7 

Potatoes. 

1.4 

16.1 

0.0 

Corn, average for all 
varieties. 

7.1 

62.7 

4.2 

Wheat, average for all 
varieties. 

9.3 

55.8 

1.8 

Rve. 

8.3 

65.5 

1.2 

Oats. 

9.1 

44.7 

4.1 

Bran. 

12.6 

44.1 

2.9 

Middlings. 

12.2 

47.2 

2.9 

Cottonseed Meal. 

36.9 

18.1 

12.3 

Linseed Meal. 

27.2 

31.8 

2.7 

Dried Blood. 

59.1 

0.0 

2.3 

Meat Scraps. 

68.4 

0.3 

13.5 

Skim Milk. 

3.1 

4.7 

0.8 

For convenience we will 

mix 250 

pounds 


of soft food at a time, selecting as an experi¬ 
mental ration 100 pounds bran, 50 pounds corn 
meal, 50 pounds ground oats. 25 pounds cotton¬ 
seed meal, 25 pounds beef and blood meal 
(assuming the latter to be composed of equal 
parts of blood and meat scraps). These quan¬ 
tities by reference to the foregoing table are 
seen to contain the following amounts of digest¬ 
ible nutrients: Protein 45.34 pounds; carbo- 
hydrates, 101.90; ether extract or fat, 11.51 
pounds. The nutritive ration we find is 1:2.8, 
while the German standard for milch cows is 
1:5.4. Therefore to balance the ratio wemust- 
seiect some material rich in carbohydrates and 
fat. In selecting clover hay, we secure a high 


percentage of carbohydrates and at the same 
time by properly preparing and mixing the 
clover with the morning mash we are able to 
furnish what closely approximates green food. 
Fifty pounds of red clover hay added to our 
ration, raises the nutritive ratio to about 1: 3.00. 

When skim milk is at hand a very profitable 
use can be made of it by mixing the soft food 
with it. A quart of skim milk weighs about 
two and a half pounds. By adding in the feeding 
period an aggregate of one hundred pounds 
of milk we make it very palatable but lower the 
nutritive ratio to 1:2.76. This we will accept 
for our morning mash, feeding what each fowl 
will clean up quickly. For our whole grain 
ration, we may select corn, wheat or rye, as they 
are all relatively rich in nitrogenous materials 
and will help balance the ration. We will select 
corn to scatter in the litter in the evening. If 
we use two hundred pounds in connection with 
the two hundred and fifty pounds soft food, our 
nutritive ratio will stand 1:4.3,somewhat narrow¬ 
er than the standard but very practicable. 

The relative amount of grain and soft food 
used varies with different individuals, some 
using more and others less. The nutritive ratio, 
however, should conform more closely to the 
standard than the average ration does if best 
results are desired. The experimental ration 
outlined above is not intended as a criterion, 
but simply to show how the different factors 
are obtained. Theoretically it would be better 
for the growing chick than the laying hen. 

—Reliable Poultry Journal. 


VALUE OF ROOTS FOR HENS. 

Substitute for Fresh Grass and Vegetables to 
Be Found in Various Root Crops—An 
Article of Highly Practical Value. 

Some June day watch a hen in a small flock 
left to roam and pick at liberty and see what she 
eats. Just as soon as it is light she is up and 
hustling around to catch the earth worm. You 
will find her always busy searching for food; a 
tip of grass here, then a clover leaf, next a 
grass-hopper, a strawberry, another grass leaf, 
or a sharp pebble attracts her attention. A 
little rest in the shade, with perhaps a dust bath, 
is her only recreation. She u active all day 
long trying to satisfy her appetite, and at night 
she comes back to roost with a full crop. These 
are happy days for biddy and she lays an egg 


i_. cf C. 


99 
















PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


nearly every clay, besides storing up fat to 
assist in nourishing her while she is hatching 
her brood. 

To imitate these conditions during the cold, 
dreary winter months, and induce biddy to lay 
the daily egg, keeps the poultryman busy from 
November to March preparing roots and mashe-s. 
The scientist has shown the farmer how to make 
June butter in December. He has told him 
just how much muscle and fat forming food the 
cow wants every day. The pig, the sheep and 
the big steer have each had their needs studied, 
but up to this time very little scientific work 
has been done on the hen. Our hen is not so 
easily studied as the large animals. We con¬ 
fine a pig, a sheep or a steer, feed it certain food, 
and determine by analyzing the solid dung 
(which is undigested food) just what propor¬ 
tion of the constituents in the given food the 
animal has made use of. The hen voids urine 
in solid form mixed with the dung. This has 
proved a stumbling block so high that the 
scientist has not surmounted it and accurately 
determined the digestive powers of fowls. In 
the feeding experiments which have been made 
it has been assumed that fowls use food the 
same as higher animals, but some think that 
fowls use it more economically. 

However, poultrymen have found by many 
different trials rations that produce good results, 
and these are being fed in ignorance of why. 
The hen at liberty eats a great deal of fresh 
grass in its season. This serves a two-fold 
purpose. It not only furnishes food, for tender 
growing grass is very nutritious, but it also 
dilutes other foods, furnishing necessary bulk. 
But when biddy is confined and fed wholly on 
grains, which are concentrated foods, in order to 
extend the crop sufficiently to overcome the 
hungry feeling, she eats more than she requires. 
This forms fat and the active fowl is changed to 
a sluggish hen. When fresh grass and vege¬ 
tables cannot be had, roots furnish a very 
acceptable succulent food. 

The various root crops resemble each other 
in composition. They all contain a very large 
percentage of water. On the average. 

Potatoes contain.75 per cent water. 

Sugar beets contain . .81.5 per cent, water. 

Carrots contain.85.9 per cent, water. 

Rutabagas contain. ..87 per cent, water. 

Mangolds contain. ... 88 per cent, water. 

Parsnips contain.88.3 per cent, water. 

Turnips contain .91.5 per cent, water. 


They all contain very little nitrogenous or 
muscle-making material; they are, however, 
quite rich in carbonaceous or fat forming nutri¬ 
ents. In the potatoes these are chiefly in the 
form of starch, and in the others chiefly in the 
form of sugar and gums. Roots are considered 
to be wholly digestible by the higher animals. 
They do, however, decrease the digestibility of 
other substances fed with them. As stated 
before we do not know much about the hen’s 
digestion. I consider that the chief value of 
roots for hens lies in their succulence, palatabil- 
itv and addition of bulk, rather than in their 
nutriment. A fresh beet or turnip hung in the 
sunshine is much relished by fowls. By boiling 
them to a soft consistency and thickening them' 
with soft grains and adding a little salt, a very 
acceptable mash is made. The cooked vege¬ 
tables give bulk and add to the flavor and 
variety of the mash. For this use I think no 
root superior to the small potato. 

There is no vegetable that will completely fill 
the place of cabbage as a winter food for hens. 
The crisp, tender leaves more closely resemble 
fresh grass both in composition and mechanical 
condition. Fowls seem to relish it and will eat 
a surprising amount if it is kept before them. 
Just now clover rowen cut into short lengths is 
largely used by poultrymen. This is an ex¬ 
cellent food, very nutritious, cheap and easily 
preserved and prepared. Unlike roots, clover 
is rich in muscle forming materials. If steamed 
soft and mixed in the mash in the proportion of 
one part to five or six of the ground grains a 
very gratifying mash is produced. 

To see if clover could be used to replace cab¬ 
bage entirely the Hatch Experiment Station 
conducted the following experiment. Forty 
Plymouth Rock pullets were divided into two 
equal flocks. The divisions were housed and 
fed in every way alike, except that to one a 
cooked mash containing cut clover was given 
daily, while the other received a mash prepared 
of the same grains in the same way without the 
clover. In this house a small cabbage was 
hung once a week. 

The clover in the mash of the first division in¬ 
creased the bulk of the breakfast to such an 
extent that the fowls were satisfied with less 
ground grain than were the others. The actual 
cost of the entire food consumed during the 
experiment by each lot of the fowls varied but 
five cents. At the first of January, the begin¬ 
ning of the test, neither division had laid an egg. 


100 




FOODS AND FEEDING. 


At the first of May the clover fed fowls had laid 
468 eggs and the cabbage fed fowls had laid 588. 
Analysis of the eggs showed that the cabbage 
fed fowls laid a richer egg. The eggs were given 
to different cooks who knew nothing of their 
source to try. The verdict was that the eggs 
from cabbage fed fowls were strong. The 
superior richness of the egg apparently made 
them strong in flavor. One woman said the 
clover eggs were the finest she ever ate. 

The result of the test indicates that we cannot 
with profit substitute clover entirely for cabbage 
or other succulent food. Some have obtained 
good results by using bright corn silage as a 
vegetable food for hens. If the poultry-keeper 
has other stock and feeds silage, this would 
undoubtedly be the cheapest and most conven¬ 
ient green food. It is so difficult to keep silage 
satisfactorily except where large quantities are 
used, that a silo for poultry alone is not practi¬ 
cal. 

—H. M. Thomson, in Reliable Poultry Journal. 


THE DRY FEEDING METHOD. 

Practical Pointers by an Expert—Facts from 

Four Years of Dry Feeding—Results with 
Chickens and Adult Fowls. 

BY P. R. PARK, READING, MASS. 

Since his boyhood days the writer has been 
deeply interested in the subject of feeding stock, 
and has marked the similarity of animals and 
plants in their manner of assimilating nutriment 
offered them. Whatever the subject under 
treatment, it should be fed with some object in 
view. If plant life, either for foliage, fruit or 
seeds; if animal life, for whatever feature the 
grower is aiming to excel in. 

The plant has no power to create, it can only 
assimilate such component parts as come within 
its reach. Some gather them from the roots 
largely, others gather quite a litt le from the air. 
The combined product makes the result sought. 
In feeding poultry the same general law exists. 
Birds have no power to create and can only 
gather such food as comes within their reach, 
which we regret to say in many cases is a very 
pitiful supply. In the state of nature with an 
unlimited range and inexhaustible variety, they 
seldom, if ever, have a new disease. In the 
state of domestication, having an appetite which 
eats almost anything, it is usually given the 
opportunity , and the feeds distributed to poultry 
would wreck nearly any other organization in 


the animal kingdom. We think hogs would 
have to take liver pills as a steady regulator if 
they were asked to eat the composite mess dis¬ 
tributed «n many poultry plants. 

The skillful feeder should aim first, at what 
his market pays best for, and if he has had ex¬ 
perience, can then study the field of foods, buy¬ 
ing those which are offered at the lowest rates, 
if the quality is what it should be. There is 
money enough in the business to buy the best of 
everything and still show a splendid margin on the 
the right side of the ledger, with almost any 
market in the world, if we can get over the mor¬ 
tality of young chicks which is discouraging so 
many beginners and not a few of the so-called 
“ professionals.” 

A growing chick has without doubt, as eco¬ 
nomical digestion as the steer, sheep or hog, 
and a pound of chicken meat can be produced 
for as small a number of cents as any of these. 
With poultry still regarded as a luxury in 
ninety per cent, of the homes of America, it 
seems that the market is yet very poorly supplied 
and the field for the producer practically un¬ 
limited. We think the poultry (tapers would 
serve the public demand even better than they 
do, if they taught us how to make money with 
flocks of birds averaging from 120 to 150 eggs 
per year, rather than trying to teach that we 
should aim to produce 200 eggs in the same 
length of time. A 200-egg hen may be nearly 



Mr. Park’s Dry Food Hopper. 


101 


















PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


in sight, but we fear when she arrives, she will 
be like the two-minute horse—useless for any 
other purpose. Of what avail is it, if we get 
her henship to the point of laying 200 eggs per 
year and we cannot reproduce her kind in paying 
numbers or rear those chickens which we do 
succeed in inducing to come from the shell? 

There are many sides to the poultry business 
and twelve months in every year, all of which 
should be figured in looking forward and weighed 
in looking backward. A hen laying an average of 
ten to twelve dozen eggs per year usually throws 
strong chicks easily reared and consequently 
showing a splendid profit in the surplus as 
market poultry, and in the second season with 
the strong, sturdy pullets ready to do business 
from the date of their first egg until the hatchet 
intervenes later in their lives. We think the 
striving for the 200-eggs-per-year hen respons¬ 
ible in part for the large mortality in chicks 
between the egg and maturity, but much of it is 
due to ignorance, or her sister, carelessness. 

That the business, taken the country over, 
pays a good margin of profit on the capital in¬ 
vested in spite of a heavy mortality in small 
chicks, would seem to argue that this is one of 
the most fruitful fields for scientific thought and 
research. If we can eliminate fifty per cent, of 
this mortality, do not we show nearly a corres¬ 
ponding increase in the profits? Certainly it 
would show twenty-five per cent. 

The skillful feeder will be found to possess a 
keen eye for- the appearance of perfect health 
and will be ever on the lookout for the departure 
from the sign posted upon every living, healthy 
beast or bird in the universe. The difference 
between a bird out of condition and the one in 
perfect health to the old breeder, is as marked as 
between brightly burnished metal and the same 
when suffering from tarnishing and neglect. 

Well Bred Chicks Are Naturally Hardy. 

Feeding with some end in view, breeding 
along the same lines, there should be steady 
headway made from year to year, and while 
there may be an occasional set-back, for we are 
all human, the average progress should be sure. 
Well-born chicks—perhaps we had better say 
chicks born of strong, hardy parents,—come 
into this world about as well developed and 
fitted for the stern battle of life as anything we 
know of. Given half an opportunity, fed 
within the bounds of common sense,and properly 
brooded, it seems practically impossible to kill 


them. They have an ample coat of down 
which protects them from almost any kind of 
weather for short periods. Given a well regu¬ 
lated brooder they will cheerfully march out into 
zero temperature and apparently be as happy 
as though the sun stood high in the heavens 
and the temperature registered 90 degrees in the 
shade, and they certainly grow much better than 
when placed under the latter conditions. Fed 
improperly or kept at suicidal temperature or 
being unfortunate enough to have weak parents 
on one or both sides, and the reverse condition 
seems to be the result ; they are about as deli¬ 
cate, puny and unsatisfactory atoms of mortali¬ 
ty as the universe produces. 

By closely studying nature’s methods, we 
would find that the mother hen, leaving the 
nest when the chicks are one or two days 
of age, does not have a chance to lead the way 
to a dough dish and fill them with an indigest¬ 
ible mash. On the contrary, she starts out on 
the hunt. Perhaps she lands in the garden 
the first shot, and to the owner’s consternation, 
proceeds to tear up the newly made land in her 
endeavors to seek tid-bits for her charges. If 
she is undisturbed, she makes a good display by 
nightfall and unearths quite a little food.sueceed- 
ing by this time in filling the crops of her numer¬ 
ous family. If we could dissect them, we would 
not find any carefully prepared mixture of one 
to four or one to five, or “ sixteen to one,” or any 
other startling array of chemical combines, but 
we would find a bug, a worm, an occasional seed 
that the owner so carefully planted a few days 
previously, together with a few of the weed 
seeds which he did not plant, and plenty of grit. 
This composite mass has been gathered together 
in ten or twelve hours’ time, with a liberal 
sprinkling of exercise thrown in, and if the 
weather conditions are favorable and our mother 
hen does not pull the youngsters around through 
the wet grass too much in the morning, she 
usually comes out at the end of the season with 
about as many full-sized chickens as she started 
from the nest with. 

The usual methods when the old lady brings 
off her family, are to shut her off in a coop and 
bring on all the wet mash she and the chicks 
ought to eat for a full day’s time, and dump it 
down on a board in front of the coop. Some of 
this is eaten, most of it forms a door viat for the 
youngsters, and in one-half hour’s time looks 
much like the dirt surrounding the coop. Ly¬ 
ing in the hot sun does not take long to start 


102 


FOODS AND FEEDING. 


rapid fermentation, and we soon have germs of 
bowel trouble growing at the rate of forty miles 
an hour. Books say chicks should be fed five 
times a day, and the nervous owner thinks that 
if five is good six is better, and soon comes 
around with another dose of the same food and 
puts on the top of the first “ charge, ” and we 
have a sandwich of wet dough and dirt. In a 
few days’ time the chicks begin to start for the 
world where mashes are unknown and the owner 
says “Darn the chicken business,” or else he 
blames the man from whom he purchased the 
eggs for having “inbred stock,” and we have 
another case of “ the business don’t pay.” Per¬ 
haps his painstaking neighbor improves on this 
method and bakes the mash, which is quite an 
improvement as it removes a large part of the 
water, but at the same time is quite a little labor. 
His chicks do better, making phenomenal 
growth for a few weeks, and he thinks that the 
solution of the poultryman’s trials lies in cook¬ 
ing the food. He invests in an amateur bakery 
and bakes everything. His chicks continue to 
thrive, apparently, but as the hot weather comes 
on, he notices some bowel trouble among the 
half grown birds. These die and he shouts that 
cholera has struck him, writes to the editor of a 
poultry paper who tells him that the symptoms 
look like cholera. After changing the food and 
losing half his flock, he gets around to hard 
grain and pulls them through, or what is left of 
them, although they are not now as large as the 
chicks raised under the natural method without 
the assistance of the bake shop. 

Feeding the Chicks. 

Our method, which we have practiced now for 
four years with uniformly good success, has been 
to give the chicks a mixture of assorted grains 
and grit ground to about the size of a pin head 
for their first feed. With a dish of beef scraps 
standing constantly before them, and the fine 
ground food fed in litter with plenty of green 
food (cabbage or green grass), they have an in¬ 
ducement to scratch from sunrise to sunset, and 
take the food slowly and naturally. With the 
beef scrap always within reach, they at no time 
crave more animal food, and their systems 
rapidly adapt themselves to the season of 
plenty and nature constructs a body planned 
for a continuation of this same diet, namely: 
good, thick, strong leg and frame and a chicken 
that looks ready to eat at any stage of the game, 
-long-bodied, short-legged, hardy, “ born to 



Mr. Park’s R. I. Reds at the Food Hopper. 

live” looking fellows, free from all the ills and 
pains of chickendom and fit to wrestle for a 
living through thick and thin, good weather and 
bad, as long as the food holds out. 

When they reach a more mature age, say 
from six to eight weeks, we gradually wean 
them from the small grains and substitute 
cracked corn and wheat, place them in colony 
coops on grass range and soon discontinue the 
wheat, feeding cracked corn and beef scraps in 
hoppers, feeding once a week or oftener as the 
size of the hopper and number of the chicks de¬ 
mand. These hoppers should be made quite 
high in front,-—three inches or more at least, 
as the birds are always looking for the largest 
pieces of beef scraps, and with low-front hopper 
waste quite a little by throwing it out with 
their bills. Figs. 1 and 2 show the style of hop¬ 
per we use, made of second hand boxes or other 
available material. They should be covered 
with waterproof paper to prevent the food’s 
becoming wet if kept outside the roosting coops. 
This system continues until the sexes are sepa¬ 
rated, and then we place the males in yards 
sufficiently large so that the birds never eat 
them bare of grass. Placing the cull cockerels 
intended for market by themselves, we com¬ 
pound a mixture of equal weights—corn, wheat, 


103 










PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


oats and barley, ground fine as flour if we can 
induce the miller to reduce it to that fineness, 
feed it dry and continue the beef scraps. This 
mixture has given us fatter chickens than we 
have ever been able to produce by any other 
system. 

A mixed lot of cockerels is about as uncom¬ 
fortable a set of individuals as is ever gotten 
together, and this is the only system by which 
each bird can be fed singly. Here each one 
goes to the hopper and eats as long as he has 
plenty of saliva, then lpoves aw^y allowing the 
weaker brother to come up and fi&ke his turn. 
They must necessarily eat slowly because they 
can swallow only a small amount of this dry 
mixture at one time,.anti thus all have an equal 
opportunity. ' . 

Food Is Digested Naturally. 

Here the digestion of the fobd begins in the 
mouth. If the crop of one of^fiese birds is cut 
open, in place of file sburppartlv fermented 
food that is found in a mash-fecbchicken, we 
find the grain as sweet as ever, but smelling as 
though partly cooked, no fermentation of any 
kind, and we think the crop now does the work 
nature intended for it. Your mash-fed chicken 
gets up in the morning, waits around an hour 
or two until the pleasure of the feeder brings 
around a pail of hot or cold mash, which is 
placed on boards, troughs or other devices, and 
a wild scramble begins. Each one gulps what 
he can reach; the weaker get a little, and the 
stronger the bulk of the food. If the mash is hot 
it raises the temperature of the bird above nor¬ 
mal and sweat is started, which is anything but 
what it should be, laying the foundation for colds 
and roup. The food goes through the crop 
with very little change, except fermentation, 
direct to the gizzard, and the entire work of the 
digestive system is thrown upon the gizzard 
and the intestines; whereas the crop should 
have done quite a little towards softening and 
partly digesting it. 

With the chickens on range, this hopper of 
food awaits them immediately they are off the 
perch in the morning and they then start upon 
the day’s hunt over the fields for the bugs, 
worms, grasshoppers and grass, which go to 
make life one sweet dream for poultry. At any 
time during the day that their appetites dictate, 
they can call at the coop and get a supply of 
such grain and meat food as they desire, and eat 
it unmolested in a very gentlemanly and lady¬ 


like manner. Much more uniform gains result; 
the younger and weaker chick thrives as well as 
the larger and stronger, summer chickens grow 
practically as well as the spring hatched, and 
bowel trouble is a thing unheard of from the 
shell to maturity; if the proper heat is main¬ 
tained in the brooders and the grain and beef 
scraps used are of the first quality. 

The cooking of food, some say, makes it more 
digestible, which we have no doubt is true, but 
the question arises as to what particular portion 
of the food it makes more digestible. Of course 
the starch is more easily assimilated, but the 
protein is not, and we think here is where the 
mischief arises from cooked food. The simple 
scalding of a mash makes no chemical change. 
You might as well mix it with cold water as hot, 
chemists tell us. The books say, mix the mash 
as dry as you can mix it. If it is to be mixed as 
dry as you can mix it, why not leave the water 
out entirely, surely it is much easier to mix dry 
than wet. “But,” you say, “fowls won’t eat 
it.” This is true, they will not eat it for one or 
two feeds, if brought up on the wet ration, but- 
brought up properly they eat it freely and it 
never stands before them sour; the last spoonful 
in the hopper is as sweet as the first and each 
bird gets its proper share. 

Getting Strong, Fertile Eggs. 

When the pullets go to the laying houses, they 
are fed cracked corn, wheat, oats and barley; 
fifty per cent, however is corn. A hopper of 
beef scraps is still kept before them but we now 
add a hopper of dry bran. The whole grain is 
fed in litter three times per day. Birds are 
kept scratching for all their grain, but they have 
cabbages to eat constantly before them. If 
cabbages are not plenty we use cut clover, 
scalded to soften it, fed in deep troughs. We 
have used with good success a dry mash con¬ 
sisting of twenty-five per cent, corn meal, 
twenty-five per cent, beef scraps and fifty per 
cent, bran, fed dry in boxes during the morning, 
giving what they will eat up by noon, when we 
give a light feed of whole grain, with another full 
feeding at night. Hard grain is fed in litter as 
previously noted, and while this ration is a little 
cheaper than the other, the dealers usually put 
the poorest grade of corn which they purchase 
into their meal, and results are not always as 
satisfactory as we could wish for this reason. 
A good egg yield will result from this ration if the 
ground grain and beef scraps are of good quality. 


104 


FOODS AND FEEDING. 


We have no difficulty in getting birds to one, 
two or three pounds above standard weight upon 
this system. We believe that ninety per 
cent, of the chickens raised in the country do 
not have sufficient food to develop as they 
should. Overfeeding, we think, would be 
much better expressed as improper feeding. 

There are very few breeds that would get too 
fat to lay if properly exercised, and we have yet 
to find one of our birds in that condition. It is 
not a fact that the bird which is ignorantly con¬ 
demned as being over fat and out of laying con¬ 
dition will usually, when killed, show that it was 
really one of the workers of the flock? The egg 
is a surplus product and unless the bird is well 
nourished, it cannot produce them. As to 
fertility, we think no system of feeding can equal 
this method. The eggs uniformly test well and 
the germs live right through and hatch good 
strong, bound-to-live chicks that are ready to 
take up with the dry-food method where their 
ancestors began. No weaklings result, provided 
the other conditions surrounding the birds are 
properly met, one of the most important of 
which is an abundance of fresh air; and the fowl 
will stand an almost unlimited amount of this if 
free from draughts and not subject to the daily 
sweating over a hot mash. Each generation of 
chicks seems hardier than their ancestors, are 
more cheaply raised, for any increase in the 
general health of a flock must be reflected in the 
decrease of the mortality of the youngsters. 

Labor and Expense Saved. 

The labor saved is no small item, for the 
difference between feeding the chicks three 
times per day dry, hard grain right from the 
bag, and cooking johnny-cake, et cetera fed five 
times per day, the heating of water and the stirr¬ 
ing of the mash for a large flock of hens, all of 
which we have demonstrated, to our satisfaction 
at least, is useless labor. This labor directed 
toward other details, and the poultry business 
is full of them, will grow the chicks and c^re for 
the flock much better, or will allow double the 
numbers to be kept with the same number of 
steps taken daily. Perhaps not quite so many 
eggs would result asbythe mashsystem of feeding 
laying hens the first season, but if any old stock 
is kept over it will be found to lay nearly as 
well the second as the first year; the birds lay 
better through the molt; there is less mor¬ 
tality among the adult birds, and the profits 


will be found on the right side of the ledger of 
the dry system. 

In order to give the thing a proper trial make 
up your mind to try half the flock, if not the 
whole, for one year with this scheme, starting 
with the chicks from the eggs, or at any other 
time that seems best, and continuing the ex¬ 
periment until the year is through, carefully 
noting results. Remember that January to 
January is the test through which poultry must 
be fed and from which profits should be ex¬ 
pected, and it is the books at the end of the year 
which tell the tale. The general health of the 
flock is no small item in reckoning up your assets 
for the coming season, be sure and take 
account of it. 

We think the science of feeding farm animals 
very little understood in this country, or in any 
country in fact, and the feeding of poultry is 
less comprehended than anv other branch of it. 
Doubtless as the importance of the industry is 
impressed upon managers of the different ex¬ 
periment stations throughout the country, 
tests will be made, but many of these are mis¬ 
leading as the results themselves are very un¬ 
satisfactory, and the careful noting of details is 
usually left to assistants who have no interest in 
the matter and who may report correctly or 
otherwise. The poultry business is hardly in 
its infancy yet, and we look for ranches that 
will carry birds in the thousands to be successful 
in the near future. At present very few of these 
exist and we think the cause is largely through 
improper feeding or the ignorance surrounding 
the whole subject. From our observation we 
are very sure that for best results we should 
feed animal protein and vegetable fat in some 
form. Gluten meal has nearly as good a 
protein analysis as the best beef scraps, but 
when fed, birds do not like it and fail to thrive or 
produce the results desired. Animal fat tends 
to disturb the digestive system and we do not 
get the results hoped for, but a feeding com¬ 
posed of fifty per cent, corn in some form with 
beef scraps constantly before the bird, from the 
hatch to the hatchet, seems to promote the 
general health and thrift from start to finish. 

Corn has been sadly abused by the poultry 
press in the past, but we find it one of the safest 
foods in the list. The birds always like it, and 
our experience has shown that what they like 
usually agrees with them. We do not think it 
possible to over-feed upon any good meat. 
Given plenty of it, they eat only such as they 


105 


PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


can properly assimilate and pass by the balance. 
Of course tainted and partly decayed meat 
foods should be rejected without question. 
Boiling and cooking helps them, but does not 
restore the good that they originally contained. 

So much of the poultry-man’s prosperity de¬ 
pends upon the health of his flock that any step 
which may bring up the general tone should be 
eagerly sought and rigidly adhered to, once 
found. We do not think there is a case of 
failure in the poultry kingdom where the birds 
were kept healthy that was not due to causes 
entirely outside of the business; either the 
owners were radically unfitted for the business 
end of it, and would have failed at any under¬ 
taking which they might have ventured into, or 
they were hampered by improper help. 

Other animals seem to recover from a severe 
fit of sickness and apparently are as vigorous as 
ever, but we have yet to see a bird of any kind 
which was thoroughly sick for twenty-four hours 
or more that fully recovered. The} r may look 
all right, eat well, and be apparently healthy, 
but sometimes they are found dead under the 
roost and we wonder why. A hen in health 
is about one of the hardiest of farm animals. In 
the other condition she is anything but that. 

In closing we would say that milk, if avail¬ 
able, makes one of the best foods, used as a 
drink, that can be found for growing stock, fed 
either sour or sweet. We prefer it sour for the 
reason that you can always get it sour or make 
it so, and cannot always have it sweet, and the 
change from sweet to sour or vice versa is rather 
injurious to young chicks. They seem to adapt 
themselves to a constant diet of sour milk or do 
equally well if it is always sweet, but a mixture 
seems to produce ill results. 

Try a pen each way, if you have milk at a 
reasonable price, one pen with water to drink 
and the others give nothing but milk in connec¬ 
tion with our methods, and carefully note 
results. Some object to it, saying that the 
birds get all “stuck up.” If the dishes are 
never empty, the birds then do not get over 
thirsty and crowd around when a new supply is 
brought on, and if each one has a chance to drink 
by himself, they do not then become fouled. 

Reliable Poultry Journal. 

Feeding Clover for Eggs. 

Of all the vegetables and grasses, clover and 
cabbages seem to be the ones that poultry de¬ 
light most to indulge in; and yet, notwith¬ 
standing so much has been written upon the 


value of clover as a green food, and finely cut 
clover hay as a winter green food, few poultry- 
men realize its value. 

It has great value as a “ food ” pure and 
simple, it being rich in both nitrogen and lime, 
two most important food elements. Its nutri¬ 
tive ratio is 1:6.1; while that of wheat is but 
1:6.5; corn 1:8.9; barley, 1:6.1; potatoes 
1:17.3. It is easy to see, then, that clover has 
as high a nutritive value as barley, and almost as 
high as wheat, our two most valuable grain 
foods. Of lime clover contains 1.3 per cent., 
ranking next below green bone in the food 
value tables, and contrasting with the common¬ 
ly used grains as follows: wheat, .2; barley, .1; 
corn only a trace; in other words, clover has six 
and one-half as much lime as does wheat, and 
thirteen times as much as barley. 

Clover has even greater value as a bulky food, 
as extending, diluting the food ration, reducing 
the too concentrated grain food, and preventing 
the accumulation of internal fat. Grass or 
some green food should be fed to extend (dilute) 
the grain food, increasing its digestibility; and 
for that purpose there is no better article than 
clover. When it is understood that clover is 
the best of all grasses for extending the food 
ration, and is, itself, a most excellent food, 
rich in nitrogen and lime, its surpassing merit 
will be conceded. 

One of the great advantages of clover is that 
it is so easily and conveniently cured and 
stored in summer for winter use; in fact, once 
well cured and housed, it will keep indefinitely. 
We esteem second crop clover (or “ rowen,” as 
many call it), to be the best, and it should be 
cut when well in blossom; we let it mature until 
the first blossoms are just beginning to turn 
slightly brown. At that time the nutriment 
intended for perfecting and ripening the seeds 
is all in the stalks and leaves, and the plant is at 
its best. The goodness in the clover is best pre¬ 
served if it is mired in the shale; but as that is 
inconvenient, the usual method is to let it stand 
in the swath for three or four hours, until the 
top is considerably wilted; then turn and leave 
for three or four hours more, then cock it and 
let it stand for two or three days, until it 
“ sweats,” then open the cocks and dry lightly, 
put in the barn, and stow away. Cured in this 
manner, the “ life ” of the plant is not all burned 
out of it, and it comes out in the winter as sweet 
as new-mown hay. 


106 


Farm Poultry. 


FOODS AND FEEDING. 


PRODUCING AN EARLY MOLT. 

The Van Dreser Method and Some Comments 

Upon it. 

A couple of years ago the story of Mr. Henry 
Van Dreser’s poultry farm was published in an 
agricultural weekly paper, and in it an account 
of how he induced his hens to lay at the time 
when most hens had retired from business and 
were busy with the molt; the method was 
described as follows: 

t 

“ During July and August the wealthy people 
of the city who eat these fine eggs, are cff at 
watering places and pleasure resorts and the 
eggs are not wanted; Van Dreser makes his 
hens molt and get ready for fall business. For 
two weeks they are kept in a pen and get only 
one-fourth of their ration; this reduces their 
flesh. They are then let out into the sunshine, 
and fed with a rush, with the best possible food; 
all they can eat,—peas and oats, wheat and 
corn and particularly sun-flower seed. This 
soon loosens up their old feathers so as to leave 
the hens almost bare. Under the heavy feed 
they soon take on new plumage; the combs 
get red, and just about the time the aristocracy 
get home and other hens are on strike, Van 
Dreser’s are in full lay.” 

There was much discussion of this story in the 
poultry papers, but there was nothing par¬ 
ticularly new in the idea. We were told of 
similar work done by a farmer in Vermont a 
dozen years ago. This farmer’s method was to 
select out perhaps 30 or 40 of his (about 150) 
hens, put them in a pen in a hen house in the 
rear of the farm buildings,and after keeping them 
shut in for a few days to wean them from any 
desire to return to their old quarters, he gave 
them the run of a pasture-lot, watered by a 
brook and dotted with trees. This he called 
“turning them out to grass,” and during the 
month in which they were thus treated they 
were fed once a day a light feed of some grain, 
as oats and wheat, and at the end of the period 
they were substantially reduced in flesh, and 
had' got into good, “hard” condition. They 
were then fed a good grain-ration, with the 
usual proportion of corn, etc., and beef scraps. 
The result of this was the hens molted immedi¬ 
ately and in three or four weeks were well 
clothed with a new suit of feathers, and laid 
abundantly. Mr. Foster did this in order to 
be supplied with eggs in fall and early winter, 
that he might keep up with his orders for select- 







§ ' "p 

n 

j ^_ 



outdoor Brooders Under Natural Shelter. 

ed eggs for New York City clients; and he spoke 
of the method as working exellently well 

There is no doubt but an early molt can be 
produced in this manner. ’Whether it is profit¬ 
able to thus force the molt is an altogether 
different question, and much would depend 
upon the object in view. If the object is to 
have hen’s eggs in fall and early winter, forcing 
the molt will accomplish it; if, however, the 
object of keeping over a proportion of the year- 
old hens to have especially good hatching eggs 
in the spring, it may well be doubted if an early 
molt is of any value. It is the opinion of 
many observant poultrymen that we get 
stronger and better chicks from eggs of year- 
old hens that have laid very little during the 
winter, hence come to the breeding season not 
at all exhausted in strength, and, indeed, in 
the best possible condition to produce eggs 
which will turn out the strongest and most 
vigorous chicks. Until we have further light 
upon this subject, and perhaps have tested the 
ability of hens to lay for an entire twelve 
months following the forced molt, it may be 
well to suspend judgment. 

The following is the report from Bulletin No. 
83, September, 1902, of the West Virginia 
Agricultural Experiment Station: 

A Trial of the VanDreser Method of Producing 
an Early and Uniform Molt. 

When a specialty is made of producing winter 
eggs it is of much importance to have the hens 
shed their feathers early in the fall so that the 
new plumage may be grown before cold weather 


107 













PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


begins. In case molting is much delayed the 
production of the new coat of feathers in cold 
weather is such a drain on the vitality of the 
fowls that few if any eggs are produced until 
spring, while if the molt takes place early in 
the season the fowls begin winter in good condi¬ 
tion and with proper housing and feeding 
may be made tb lay during the entire winter. 

A few years ago Mr. Henry VanDreser pro¬ 
posed a way whereby fowls may be caused to 
molt as early in the fall as is desirable. Briefly, 
this method consists in withholding food 
either wholly or in part for a few days, which 
stops egg production and reduces the weight 
of the fowls, and then feeding heavily on a 
ration suitable for the formation of the feathers 
and the general building up of the system. 

The experiment designed to study this 
method was begun August 5. 1902, with two 
pens of Rhode Island Reds, and two pens of 
White Leghorns, about two years old. One 
pen each of Rhode Island Reds and White 
Leghorns received no food for thirteen days 
except what they could pick up in their runs, 
which had been sown to oats in the spring. 
These runs were fifteen feet wide and one 
hundred feet long and nearly all of the oats had 
been picked from the heads before the begin¬ 
ning of the experiment. The other two lots 
of fowls were fed as usual on mash, beef scraps, 
corn, wheat, and oats. After the expiration of 
the thirteen days all four lots of fowls were fed 
liberally. Each lot of fowls contained twenty 
hens and two cocks. 

The following table shows the number of eggs 
produced during the first thirty days after the 
beginning of the test: 



The Droppings Platform, Fowls Fed as Usual. 



The DroppiDgs Platform, Fowls Fed to Induce an Early Molt. 

1 .. .|Rhode Island Reds |Fed continuously | 75 

2 .. . |Rhode Island Reds |No food | 17 

3 .. . |White Leghorns |Fed continuously 1172 

4 ... |White Leghorns |No food | 25 

Lots two and four ceased laying entirely 
on the seventh day of the test. 

Thirty days after the test began the “no 
food ” pen of Rhode Island Reds had practically 
a complete coat of new feathers, had begun 
to lay, and within a week from that time one- 
half of the hens were laying regularly, while 
the other lot of Rhode Island Reds were just 
beginning to molt, and the egg production 
had dropped down to two or three eggs per day. 

Both lots of White Leghorns were a trifle slower 
in molting than the Rhode Island Reds, 
but otherwise the treatment effected them 
in a similar way. 

For ten days beginning August 19, the 
droppings boards in the two White Leghorn 
houses were not cleaned. At the expiration of 
this time photographs were taken and the 
plates show the great accumulation of feathers 
from the “no food” lot of fowls, and the rela¬ 
tively small amount of feathers which had been 
shed by the other lot. 

Summary. 

Mature hens, which are fed very sparingly for . 
about two weeks and then receive a rich nitrog¬ 
enous ration, molt more rapidly and with 
more uniformity, and enter the cold weather 
of winter in better condition than similar fowls 
fed continually during the molting period 
on an egg producing ration. 


108 















FOODS AND FEEDING. 


What to Feed. 

Green bones are not as extensively fed as they 
should be, because grain can be obtained with 
less difficulty and at a low cost; but as egg 
producing material, the bone is far superior 
to grain—nor does the bone cost more than 
grain in some sections. The cutting of the bone 
into available sizes is now rendered an easy 
matter, as the bone cutter is within the reach 
of all. Bones fresh from the butcher have 
more or less meat adhering, and the more of 
such meat, the better, as it will cost no more 
per pound than the bone, while the combina¬ 
tion of both meat and bone is almost a perfect 
food from which to produce eggs. 

If the famer can get two extra eggs per week 
from each hen in winter, he will make a large 
profit. We may add that if the product of 
each can be increased one egg per week only 
in winter, that egg will pay for all the food 
that she can possibly consume, and it therefore 
pays to feed the substances that will induce 
the hen to lay. If the hens are consuming 
food, and are producing no eggs, they will cause 
a loss to their owner; and this happens every 
winter on a large number of farms. The hens 
receive plenty of food, but not the right kind. 

A pound of cut green bone is sufficient for 
sixteen hens one day, which means that one 
cent will pay for that number of fowls. If 
one quart of grain be fed at night to sixteen 
hens, and one pound of bone in the morning 
it should be ample for each day (and the major¬ 
ity of fanciers do) we find in winter. In sum¬ 
mer only the bone need be given. Such a diet 
provides fat, starch, nitrogen, phosphates, 
lime and all the substances required to 
enable the hens to lay. As an egg is worth 
about three cents in winter, it is plain that it 
is cheaper to feed bone than grain; as the 
greater number of eggs not only reduces the 
total cost, but increases the profit as well. 

The bone cutter is as necessary to the poul- 
tryman as his feed mill. It enables him to 
use an excellent and cheap food, and gives him 
a profit where he might otherwise be compelled 
to suffer a loss. It is claimed that the bone 
cutter pays for itself in eggs, and really costs 
nothing. Bones are now one of the staple 
articles of food for poultry, and no rations should 
have them omitted. They are food, grit, and 
lime, all combined in one, and the hens will 
leave all the other foods to receive the cut bone. 
If cut fine, even chicks and ducklings will 


relish such excellent food, while turkeys grow 
rapidly on it. To meet with success requires 
the use of the best materials, and green bone 
beats all other substances as food for poultry. 
There is quite a difference between the green 
fresh bone, rich in its juices, as it comes from 
the butcher’s and the hard, dry bone which 
has lost its succulence. The value of all foods 
depends largely upon their digestibility, and 
the more this is provided for the greater the 
saving of food, and the more economical the 
production of eggs. —Poultry Keeper. 

The Importance of Green Food. 

There is another most important article of 
diet, without which it is absolutely impossible 
to keep fowls in health. We refer to an ample 
and daily supply of green or fresh vegetable 
food. It is not perhaps too much to say that 
the omission of this is the proximate cause of 
nearly half the deaths where fowls are kept in 
confinement; whilst with it, our other direc¬ 
tions being observed, they may be kept in 
health for a long time in a pen only a few feet 
square. It was to provide this that, wherever 
they are large enough,we recommended the open 
yards, when possible, to be laid down in grass— 
the very best green food for poultry, and a run 
of even an hour daily on such a grass plot, sup¬ 
posing the shed to be dry and clean, will keep 
them in health; but if a shed only be available, 
fresh vegetables of some kind must be given 
daily. Cabbage leaves may suffice, though 
they are about the worst of green vegetables 
as regards a tendency to diarrhoea. They or 
other refuse vegetables may be minced up and 
mixed pretty freely with soft food; or the whole 
leaves may be thrown down for the fowls to 
devour; or a few turnips may be minced up 
daily, and scattered like grain, or simply cut in 
two and thrown into the run. 

Lettuce leaves and most garden refuse are very 
wholesome, also dandelion leaves and other 
field salads. For fowls in a shed one of the 
best things is to cut a whole cabbage head in 
half and hang it up by a string, which will give 
the fowls both green food and occupation. 
Something they must have every day, other¬ 
wise their bowels sooner or later become dis¬ 
ordered and their combs lose that bright red 
color which will always accompany good health 
and condition, and testifies pleasantly to abund¬ 
ance of eggs. 

Wright’s “ Practical Poultry Keeper 


109 


Chapter VIL 


COLLECTION AND CARE OF EGGS. CATERING TO THE MARKET. GUARANTEED 

STRICTLY FRESH EGGS. 


great many poultrymen fail of getting 
the best price for their' eggs, and a 
still greater proportion of the farm¬ 
ers fall short of marketing the best 
and getting the best prices. A study of 
the market quotations shows a remarkably 
wide range of prices, and one very soon 
learns that this range of price is deter¬ 
mined by the quality of the eggs marketed. 
This is almost a truism; it applies to every line 
of business and every kind of goods bought and 
sold. If one has a second, or third, or fourth, 
or fifth rate article to sell, he has no right to 
expect the price of a first rate article, and if 
he fails of getting the price of a first rate article 
he is a foolish man who does not ask himself, 
“Why?”—and then set about to reform his 
methods so that he shall have goods which 
merit the best price. 

Freshness is the quality of the greatest im¬ 
portance, and where there is any question of 
the quality the eggs are tested for freshness at 
the outset. If one is located near a city or 
large town he can get a private family trade, 
which will pay a fancy price for strictly-fresh 
new laid eggs; even if at a considerable distance 
from a city or town one can have such a trade, 
by an alliance with a dealer in the city or town. 
The description of the marketing methods em¬ 
ployed at the White Leghorn Poultry Plant in 
Chapter V, explains this. The eggs are put 
up in pasteboard boxes holding one dozen 
each and shipped daily to a dealer (or dealers), 
the latter distributes the eggs to the preferred 
customers. Whether it will pay one to estab¬ 
lish an egg route and deliver guaranteed fresh 
eggs to selected customers, after the manner 
of the familiar milk-route of our cities and 
towns, each poultry man or farmer must deter¬ 
mine for himself. Such an egg route takes 
time; for example, he will start with his eggs in 
the morning, going over his route making de¬ 
liveries, and it will be noon probably before he 


gets back to his home; this means two half-days 
a week for a man and horse, and as the time of 
both man and horse are worth a certain amount, 
it is simply a question of mathematics whether 
the increased price received for the eggs pays a 
profit over the market price of the eggs plus 
the cost of delivery. 

After all the egg routes, etc., are taken into 
account it would have to be acknowledged 
that 99-100 of the eggs produced are marketed 
through the regular channels, and it is the 
general market conditions that we should con¬ 
sider. There is very great room for improving 
the quality, and thus improve the price. After 
the question of freshness has been considered, 
next in importance is the size of the egg and 
color of the shell. An illustration of improve¬ 
ment in quality came to our knowledge on a 
visit to the Industrial Fair at Toronto last 
September. Talking with Professor Graham, 
of the Ontario Agricultural College, he told us 
that in one township a dozen or fifteen miles 
from Guelph, a grain dealer has been interested 
to induce his patrons to improve the quality 
of their poultry; the result being that nearly all 
the poultry raised in that town is Barred Ply¬ 
mouth Rocks or Plymouth Rock grades; so that 
the eggs shipped to the Toronto market from 
that town are larger in size and are of a more 
uniform brown (or brownish) color than from 
any other, and retail dealers gladly pay the 
commission man a cent a dozen premium 
above the price of other eggs shipped into To¬ 
ronto. At first thought this does not seem 
to be of tremendous importance, but if we con¬ 
sider the yearly total of eggs produced in the 
United States, we see that it would make a 
very great difference in dollars. Even if a 
hen lays but ten dozen eggs in a year it mears 
10c increased profit to her owner—if she lays 
15 dozen it means 15c increased profit; it is 
commonly estimated that a hen will pay her 
owner one dollar profit in a year, and the in- 



110 



CATERING TO THE MARKET. 


crease of this amount by 10 or 15c each hen 
means an immense gain to the farmers of 
America. 

Some markets prefer white eggs, notably 
New York City and cities and towns medi¬ 
ately adjacent. Boston notably prefers brown 
eggs and pays a substantial premium for them, 
and, taking the country over, the preference is 
for brown eggs by a large majority, where any 
preference is expressed. The proprietors of 
Lakewood farm in New Jersey, told us a few 
weeks ago that even in New Y'ork City and the 
city of Newark, there were many families who 
preferred brown eggs, and Lakewood Farm 
keeps a large number of White Wyandottes to 
furnish those preferred brown eggs. Where 
there is a preference, and whichever the prefer¬ 
ence is, one should keep a variety which lays 
the eggs of the preferred color. On egg farms 
where white eggs are the specialty, the Single 
Comb White Leghorn is the variety most in 
evidence. If, however, one has customers 
which will pay a special premium for size of 
the egg (as well as the white color), Black Minor- 
cas would be the variety preferred; Minorca 
eggs are of extra large size and of the much 
desired clean-white color. 

For brown eggs the Asiatic varieties rank 
first, but the American varieties are a remark¬ 
ably close second; and some strains of Ply¬ 
mouth Hocks and Wyandottes lay good-sized, 
dark brown eggs, which are quite as good in 
both size and color as the average of Asiatics. 
In this particular selection and careful breeding 
is of great assistance. If one selects dark 
brown eggs and eggs of marked good size to 
hatch his chickens from year after year, he will 
soon establish both size and color in his strain, 
and thereafter the pre-eminence is easily main¬ 
tained. 

Eggs must be clean to command the best 
price, or to sell to a select family trade; to have 
the eggs clean it is necessary the nest be clean, 
and that the eggs be regularly and promptly 
collected and systematically cared for. So 
little heed is paid to this point, that we see 
“dirties” regularly quoted in the market re¬ 
ports. This means that hens have been allowed 
to lay in nests of their own making, perhaps at 
the base of the manure pile, perhaps under a 
bush or under the eaves of some out-house or 
building where the dripping rain water soils 
and stains them. Whatever the cause, it is 
evident that a greater number of these soiled 


and stained (“dirty”) eggs come upon the 
market, and they have to be sold for what they 
will fetch. This is unfortunate, for very many 
reasons which it is unnecessary to give space to 
here; it is sufficient for our purpose that the}' 
appreciably lower the average quality, which 
effects a lowering of the average price. We can¬ 
not too strongly urge upon our readers the im¬ 
portance of maintaining the qualities of cleanli¬ 
ness, good size and good color if they would 
produce the article which pays the best profit, 
and it is our duty to produce the best and 
market the best—then shall we get the good 
prices that pay the best. 

Building Up a Family Trade. 

A reader in eastern Massachusetts asks us for 
advice about catering to a family trade; says 
he is now getting about thirty dozen eggs a week, 
and wants to get better prices for them than he 
can get at the store. 

We think he is quite right in turning his 
attention to this, and think he will find it a 
profitable business if he will give it proper 
attention. There are several points in that 
connection, however, which he should carefully 
consider. It costs something to get family 
trade, and it costs to keep it—that is, it has got 
to be taken care of. It pays a considerably 
better price than the selling of eggs to the store, 
and that considerably better price is in itself a 
good profit, but a careful personal attention is 
the price paid for that better profit; or, to put 
it differently, the better price is the reward for 
the careful personal attention. Generally 
speaking, a family trade in strictly fresh eggs, 
delivered say twice a week, pays about ten 
cents per dozen above the price the store-keeper 
pays for eggs, and if a hen lays twelve dozen 
eggs in a year, (and she is not worth keeping 
if she does not) ten cents per dozen increase in 
price means $1.20 a year increase for each bird. 
With our friend’s one hundred birds that means 
$120 a year; and that $120 is his pay for attend¬ 
ing to the family trade. There is one point in 
this connection which he should not overlook. 
He cannot estimate the yearly capacity of his 
flock by the thirty dozen eggs a week which 
he is getting now. To take good care of family 
trade he must have eggs all the year round, 
and he must gauge his capacity by the egg 
yield in October, November and December, 
rather than by the egg yield in April and May. 
There is another point to be considered here, 


111 


PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


and that is that the lower price of March, April 
and May, will in many cases, increase the con¬ 
sumption of eggs, and a family which takes 
but two dozen eggs a week in November and 
December is likely to take three or four dozen 
a week at the lower price of April and May. 

Another point we would suggest to our 
correspondent is, that he add poultry to his egg 
business—that is, that he raise spring, summer 
and fall chickens, taking orders in advance for 
a pair or two to be delivered on the next trip, 
and adding that department to his egg business. 
We think he will find it decidedly profitable, 
especially when he gets his business well 
established, if he produces a superior article 
of chickens and fowls, an article which would 
command a fancy price. 

The poultry and egg business is almost 
exactly like the milk business, and every one 
is familiar with the value of fresh sweet milk, 
new milk—cow’s milk—as compared with 
milkman’s milk. And it requires but a little 
education for the public to appreciate the fine 
flavor of freshly laid eggs and nicely fatted 
chickens, just as they now do of choice milk. 

One question which our friend asks is how to 
build up such a trade. We would ask him in 
reply how he would build up a milk trade, 
supposing he had half a dozen cows, and wanted 
to deliver milk to private customers. Of 
course he would go to the families he wanted 
to serve, and introduce himself and his business 
to those families. In most instances this can 
best be done by a personal canvass and here 
the personality of the individual is an import¬ 
ant factor. We knew two men who started in 
the business as partners—one of them being a 
hearty, good-natured, genial man, and would 
make friends anywhere and everywhere. The 
other was the very antipodes of him—cross, 
grumpy, suspicious, and would have the greatest 
difficulty in making friends. Naturally the 
bluff, hearty one took the business end of the 
work, and his success was phenomenal. 

A man to secure private customers for eggs, 
poultry, or for milk, must have faith in himself 
and faith in his goods, and having that commod¬ 
ity he can induce housewives to give him a 
trial. We would caution the novice in this 
business not to make too strong a setting forth 
of his claims to public patronage, nor show 
samples of eggs better than the average which 
he can deliver. That is, he should not pick 
out all big eggs for the sample basket he will 


take with him when he solicits orders. They 
should be a fair average lot, just such as he 
expects to deliver week after week. Further¬ 
more, they should be clean and attractive. If 
they are put up in neat pasteboard boxes of 
one dozen each, with partitions between the 
eggs, so much the better. The housewife does 
not like to bother to go and get a dish to put 
her dozen or two dozen eggs in, and if the 
dealer can take his one or two boxes into the 
house and set them upon the table without 
bothering the perhaps busy housewife any 
more than to bid her a cheery “ Good morning,” 
that of itself favors trade. Of course the 
simple request to return the empty boxes 
will be readily acceded to, and while now and 
then one will get lost or smashed, their cost 
is so insignificant, about one dollar per hundred. 

It would be a good plan to have some postal 
cards printed with your name and address on 
the address side, and on the other:—“ Dear 
Sir:—Please bring me. . . .dozen of eggs each 
Tuesday and Friday,” leaving room below 
for the name and address of the party writing 
them. One or two such cards left with the 
housewife will frequently bring an order where 
the first or second visit has failed to accomplish 
that purpose. The housewife has found one 
or two bad (or undeniably stale) eggs in that 
last dozen she had from the store, and as she 
realizes that that means monej r out of pocket 
in addition to the annoyance possibly of having 
spoiled a batch of cake, she declares, “ There, I 
will have Farmer Jones bring me two dozen 
eggs a week, and see if I can get fresh eggs ”: 
and having the postal card at hand, she fills 
out the request for Farmer Jones to call, and 
another customer is gained. 

A business card is another very good thing. 
The writer has samples of two of these cards: 

F rom 

THE JONES POULTRY YARDS, 
Greenfields, Mass. 

George E. Jones .Proprietor. 

EVERY EGG WARRANTED FRESH. 

The Supplying of Families with Eggs and 
Poultry a Specialty. 

That is a neat and attractive business card, 
and sets forth the case in a straightforward, 
business-like manner. Certainly the leaving 
of such a card with a housewife who is likely to 


112 



CATERING TO THE MARKET. 


■want fresh eggs and good poultry would be 
likely to invite custom. 

Here is another, considerably more costly, 
evidently an engraved card, though at the 
present time “process” work is so inexpens¬ 
ive that the making of a card of special 
design is easy. 

This card is ornamented with the cut of an 
attractive Brown Leghorn hen, and below, in 
the left hand side, a nest full of attractive, 
clean-looking eggs. The card reads: 

EGGS LAID WHILE YOU WAIT! 

Family Trade Solicited. 

THE JONES FARM . Greenfields, Mass. 

We cannot but think the first one simpler 
and more attractive, although the humorous 
element in the last one would be very attractive 
to some people. 

i* Having gotten your customers, a punctual 
delivering on your part is absolutely essential. 
The eggs must be delivered on regular days, 
just as you promised—and they should always 
be clean and attractive, and as a rule, of good, 
large size. Generally speaking, it is unwise to 
have one or two extremely large ones or 
extremely small ones in the dozen—that is, 
extremely large or extremely small ones, which 
not infrequently turn up in the egg basket, 
should be kept for home use, or sold outside 
of the regular customers. 

It won’t be all smooth sailing even with the 
best of management; there will be times of the 
vear when eggs are abundant, and some of 
your customers will incline to going back to 
store-eggs, because they can get them cheaper, 
or something of that kind. Do not expect to 
always keep a customer, because you can not 
do it. Upon this subject what Mr. Robinson 
told us of his personal experience, in his 
comments upon the Utah Experiment Station’s 
poultry bulletin, is interesting. While con¬ 
sidering the selling of eggs by weight he says: 

“Apropos of the above, my own experience 
in selling large and small eggs will not be 
untimely. Even selling eggs by the dozen, I 
found it most profitable to produce large eggs, 
because people were willing to pay a better 
price for them. I don’t think any poultryman 
can hold a special trade if he furnishes his 
customers small eggs. Again and again I had 
customers quit me because some one else 
would furnish eggs just as good for less money, 


only to come back to me inside of a month, 
with the complaint that the other eggs were 
too small. As to the relative cost of producing 
large and small eggs. I can only say that the 
hens I had which laid small eggs seemed to 
eat just as much as any of the others. 

“Possibly had all foods been weighed, as in 
the Utah Experiment, the records would show 
not so much profit in the large eggs as would 
appear from the salesbook, though quicker 
sales mean quite a saving in the labor of selling 
the eggs.” 

We think that what Mr. Robinson means 
here bv large eggs was eggs which average a 
good size, and not abnormally large, and that 
was what we had in mind in recommending 
“good sized eggs,” and leaving out the very 
large and very small. Color, too, is an impor¬ 
tant matter, and a nice brown (or yellowish 
brown) egg, generally speaking, is the most 
attractive to the eye. Whether or not it is 
richer in color and attractiveness is a most 
important factor when considering a family 
trade. In those parts of the country where 
white eggs are given the preference, of course 
large, white eggs will command the fancy 
price, but, as a rule, large brown (or yellowish 
brown) eggs are coming to be considered the 
best, and are the ones to rely upon for winning 
and holding the family trade. 

Farm Poultry. 

Quality. 

We shall never be insured a first-class article 
until the consumer demands it, and refuses to 
accept anything else. So long as there is no 
radical kick against limed or cold storage eggs 
being delivered as the fresh article, so long 
will dealers palm off the poorer anti cheaper 
and charge for the richer and dearer. A 
knowledge of the source and nature of distinct 
flavors in eggs, as well as butter will be of 
material service in protecting from fraud and 
insuring a choice, fresh product. To neglect 
this is unjust to one’s self; to protect is one’s 
highest duty. Demand fresh eggs, pay for the 
same, and then charge back for every one 
proving faulty. This in itself will bring 
dealers to terms, and make them more critical, 
and insure better egg fruit for the table, no 
matter what the form in which it comes. A 
stale or impure egg is a positive injury to the 
person consuming it. Nothing will accomplish 
more for the man producing and delivering 


113 


PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


straight goods than an active demand and 
appreciation of such by the public, and refusal 
to accept anything else. Without this the 
business is demoralized, and the straightout 
henman at a disadvantage. His goods go in 
competition with an inferior article, and always 
to his loss. Buyers and consumers have a 
responsibility as well as producers, and until 
this is recognized the distinctions between 
grades of quality will not be observed by 
dealers. Maine Farmer. 

Keeping and Marketing Eggs. 

The eggs, whether intended for market or 
for hatching, should be kept in clean cases, 
either the wire spring pattern or pasteboard 
fillers, and should be kept in a moderately cool 
room that is clean and well ventilated, and 
where the temperature does not go below 50 
or above 60 degrees. This room should not 
cantain any vegetables, oil or other matter 
having strong odor, as such will taint the eggs. 
The eggs should be packed in the cases small 
end downward. Where they are intended for 
hatching, it will be a wise plan to turn them 
every day or two. For this purpose a revolving 
egg cabinet will prove a labor-saving essential. 
These cabinets are a practical invention, 
devised for the purpose of caring for eggs for 
hatching, providing means for turning the 
eggs with little expenditure of time and no 
loss through breakage or careless handling. 
These cabinets can be purchased in several 
sizes, from 150 to 700 eggs. 

In earlier times eggs, if sold at all, were mar¬ 


keted near the place where they were pro¬ 
duced and many are still sold in local markets, 
but with improved methods of transporation 
the market has been extended and large 
quantities are now shipped to distant points. 
Special egg cases are required for carrying eggs 
long distances. 

Eggs which are to be shipped, should be per¬ 
fectly fresh and should never be packed in any 
material which has a disagreeable or strong 
odor. All new laid eggs should be graded ac¬ 
cording to size and color. Musty straw, card¬ 
board, bran, or other packing material having 
a disagreeable odor will injure the flavor and 
keeping qualities of the eggs packed in it. 
Keeping eggs near a lot of apples, or other 
goods having a pronounced odor, during trans¬ 
portation, has been known to injure the flavor 
of the eggs and reduce their market value. 
Micro-organisms may enter the minute pores 
of the eggs and start fermentation which ruins 
the eggs for market purposes. Eggs which 
have been kept in a warm place, or where the 
germ has been started under abroody hen, will also 
become rotten, and the presence of a few such 
eggs in a case will result in a loss of price on the 
whole shipment. The normal mucilaginous 
coating of the surface of the egg protects it, and 
somewhat hinders the entrance of the organisms 
which start fermentation. This coating is re¬ 
moved or injured by washing the eggs and the 
keeping qualities of the eggs thereby diminished. 
For this reason it is not a good plan to wash 
eggs which are to be shipped some distance to 
market or which are not intended for immediate 
use. 



Fruit Trees for Shade, in Poultry Yards of W. J. Starke, Groton, N. Y. 

114 






Chapter VIII. 

COMBINATION EGG-FARMING. COMBINING EGGS AND POULTRY. EGGS AND 
FRUIT GROWING. EGGS AND BEEKEEPING. PROFITABLE 

COMBINATION CROPS. 


t o I A\ 1NG the incubator and brooder 
-G, I equipment for hatching the chickens 
^ I to reproduce his laying stock, what 
1 more natural than that the poultry- 
man should start the incubators in season to 
get off a couple of hatches before he intends 
to hatch the chicks for layers. With the 
American varieties April is the best month 
for hatching for the pullets, hence the first 
hatch of the future layers will be set about 
March 10th, to be off by April 1st, thus bringing 
the second hatch within the desirable month. 
This would mean the setting of the incubators 
for the two hatches of broiler chicks about 
January loth and February 12th, which will 
get them well out of the way of the April chicks 
hatched for layers. Broilers bring the highest 
prices in April, and the chicks hatched from 
the first setting of the incubators will be ten 
weeks old April 17th or 18th, in season for the 
high April prices, and the broilers of the second 
hatch will be marketed before the middle of 
May; the income from the broiler chicks will 
come just in time to meet the expense of 
feeding and raising the breeding stock. 

A succession crop and a decidedly profitable 
one is two or three hatches after the incubators 
have hatched the chickens for the laying¬ 
breeding stock, the cockerels of these last of 
May and June hatches being caponized and 
grown to capons for the next February and 
March markets. A poultry dealer in South 
Jersey told us in February, 1902, that he had 
just bought 200 capons of a farmer-neighbor, 
which averaged to weigh ten pounds apiece and 
fetched twenty-three cents a pound; these were 
June hatched chickens, caponized, and had 
grown by the following February to be worth 
$2.30 each, the farmer receiving $460.00 for 
the two hundred of them. 

Fruit growing makes an excellent combina¬ 
tion with poultry raising, and the fruit branch 


of the work may be either tree or brush fruits, 
or both. Poultry in the apple or pear orchard 
is of the greatest advantage to the trees, the 
birds keeping worms and insects in subjection 
and rollicking in the freshly ploughed or culti¬ 
vated earth. It will be found, too, that the 
soil in the orchard will need less frequent 
ploughing (or cultivating), as the birds keep 
the grass and weeds in subjection and will like¬ 
wise scratch up and stir the soil. The great 
benefit of the poultry droppings to the trees 
is not so well known as it ought to be. Poultry 
growers who have apple trees in their hen 
yards have told us that the fruit was doubled 
in quantity, improved in quality, and that trees 
which formerly bore but every other year now 
produce full crops annually; the abundant 
fruiting being due to the increased fertility of 
the soil by the poultry droppings. The shade 
of the trees is of decided benefit to the fowls, 
and they can, in an orchard, find either shade 
or sunshine at will. When possible it is well 
to locate the poultry house or houses in the 
orchard, and if it seems best to have yards for a 
part or all of the flocks a part or all of the time, 
temporary or permanent fences can be erected. 
Where permanent houses and yards are con¬ 
structed one can get quick returns from Japan 
plum or peach trees set in the yards, but in the 
case of plums it is necessary to look out to thin 
the fruit, sometimes as much as half, to prevent 
the trees overbearing themselves and becoming 
too exhausted to recover. 

Bee keeping makes another most excellent 
combination with poultry growing, the com¬ 
paratively little time required for the care of 
the bees not only not conflicting with the poul¬ 
try work but being a change of thought and 
work, hence a recreation. The poultrvman’s 
busiest season is the spring of the year, when 
the incubating of the eggs and care of the 
growing chicks takes all of his time, and rot 


115 



PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


infrequently dt mands more—and at that season 
bees need little or no attention and the less 
they are meddled with the better, excepting 
to give them a look-over in the middle of the 
day to see that all is going well; in the honey 
storing and swarming season of May, June and 
July there is call for more attention to the 
apiary, and the time then can easily be spared 
to it. There is both pleasure and profit in this 
combination of bee and poultry interests. 

Here is an item, clipped from the Reliable 
Poultry Journal, which emphasizes the great 
benefit poultry may be to an old orchard: 
“ One part of the land bought and added to 
Mr. Duston’s poultry plant was an old orchard. 
Writing of this purchase, Mr. Duston says: 
‘The past fall we must have gathered better 
than 100 bushels of apples from these old 
and practically abandoned trees. This produc¬ 
tiveness I attribute entirely to the ranging of the 
hens under the trees. The old apple orchard 
had not been trimmed or had anything done to 
it for at least 15 years; the few apples the trees 
did be,ar were measly little things, but after the 
birds had run on the land only one season, we 
got a fair crop, and the next year still more. A 
year ago these trees were trimmed up, and this 
year we had Hubbardstons that would make 
your mouth water, and many of them would 
weigh a pound apiece, I should think. ’ ” The 
shade of the trees is of most decided benefit to 
the fowls, protection from the hot sun being 
essential to their comfort in summer; in furnish¬ 
ing this much desired shade the trees reciprocate 
the benefits received from the fowls, which can, 
in an orchard, find both shade and sunshine at 
will. 

An excellent example of the benefits of thin¬ 
ning plums was reported bv Mr. C. H. Wyckoff, 
of Groton, JST. Y. His plum trees (which were 
in the poultry yards) promised a heavy crop, 
and odd half hours were spent in thinning out 
fully half of it, the result being that the fruit 
grew to double the size of that on a neighbor’s 
unthinned trees, and ripened to a plumpness and 
fine flavor that are impossible where the trees 
overbear so that they haven’t the strength to 
properly mature it. At harvest time the choice 
fruit from the trees that had been thinned sold 
quickly (and “more” was "wanted) at Si.50 per 
bushel, while the neighbor’s poorly-matured 
plums could hardly be sold at 50 cents a bushel. 
3 he thinned fruit was fully equal in quantity 
(in number of pounds or bushels), and was of 


the juicy plumpness which captures the palate 
at the first taste; it was of the much desired 
“superior” quality of which the market never 
gets enough and will gladly pay a big price for, 
while poor-quality fruit goes begging. 

A most desirable place for grape vines is along 
wire fences of permanent poultry yards; the 
foliage of the grape vines giving additional 
shade and shelter for the hens and the wire 
netting making satisfactory trellises for the 
vines. It is best to train grape vines well up 
towards the top of the netting; then they furnish 
desirable shade and the fruit is up above the 
reach of the birds. If there is danger of the 
fowls scratching or digging too deeply just 
about the trunks of grape vines or fruit trees, 
some small stones the size of one’s fist, or a few 
half bricks scattered about, will sufficiently 
protect them. 

In setting out an apple orchard, one should 
consider the future growth of the trees and 
good authorities advise setting standard apple 
trees 35 to 40 feet apart each way, and even 
with that distance apart in 20 years the trees 
will probably begin to crowd. It is not at all 
necessary that the apple trees be given the 
whole of this land at first, and an excellent plan 
is to set peach or plum trees between the apple 
trees each way. The quicker-growing peach 
and plum trees will develop, bear fruit several 
years and die of old age before the apple trees 
need all of the ground; as they decline in fruit¬ 
fulness or the apple trees encroach upon them 
they should be cut out, so that the roots of the 
apple trees may have all the room they need. 

Plantations of bush fruits, such as black¬ 
berries, raspberries, currants and gooseberries, 
and vineyards also, make superior chicken 
runs, especially for small and half-grown chicks; 
and it is an excellent plan to put brooders of 
chicks out in the small-fruit plantations, as 
early in the spring as brooders can be set out¬ 
doors to advantage. Small pens of temporary 
fencing will be needed to inclose the chicks the 
first few days, until they get used to running in 
and out of the brooders, then the fences may be 
taken away and the chicks be given free range 
among the rows of bushes. The chicks will not 
injure the growing fruit, and, indeed, when the 
fruit is ripe, will only very, very rarely touch 
it; and then it will be only a berry or two from 
the lowest stems e>r branches, and this lowest 
fruit is of indifferent quality. 


116 


COM BIN A TION EGG-FARMING. 


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Hfljujn'iV&L'' 

'A \ ki 

W J** 


BSaL 





feggw&T T§§ uaK'r: 


) 


Fruit Trees for Shade in the Poultry Yards and to Prevent Ground Poisoning. 


It is impossible to overestimate the advan¬ 
tage gained from having young chicks running 
and working among the rows of canes or bushes. 
The innumerable insects and worms they 
destroy are only a part of the benefit, though 
no small part by any means. The droppings 
are stirred into the ground by the scratching 
and thus incorporated with the soil so that the 
feeding roots can reach it, and the frequent 
stirring of the soil gives the roots an oppor¬ 
tunity to get the plant food necessary for best 
growth and to make fruit. It is not intended 
that the brooders shall remain in the fruit 
plantations through the entire time of the 
growth of the chicks; as soon as they have 
passed the brooder period, the brooders can be 
removed elsewhere to be refilled, and small 
colony houses put in their places. The chicks 


will adapt themselves quickly to the change of 
home. 

No two branches of farm work combine 
together to better advantage and profit than 
fruit growing and poultry raising, and we cannot 
too often nor in too strong terms urge the 
uniting of the two interests. They can be 
worked together most admirably, each decidedly 
benefiting the other, and enabling the growing 
of two profitable crops on the same ground at 
the same time. Everyone can well afford to 
invest some money in fruit trees for the home 
place, and few investments pay better. They 
make the place more attractive and valuable, 
and the products are a welcome addition to 
the table delicacies, greatly relished by all the 
members of the family, and the surplus can be 
old readily at good prices. 



117 














PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


PLUM TREES AND POULTRY. 

They Furnish Necessary Shade and Double 
Profit on the Same Ground. 

BY W. J. STORKE, GROTON, N. Y. 

I find that growing plum trees as an adjunct 
to the poultry business is very profitable. In 
each of my hen yards, which are about 150 feet 
long, I have a row of plum trees running through 
the center. The hens do not bother the fruit, 
and on the other hand are a great help. They 
keep away all the bugs and worms, also the hen 
manure is the best fertilizer that can be had. 
The trees in turn furnish the shade which is 
so necessary, if hens are to do well. 

I have trees of the following varieties: The 
Green Gauge, Reine Claude, Lombard, Brad¬ 
shaw, Washington, Quackenbosh, Coes’ Golden 
Drop, Genii. Of these I much prefer the 
Reine Claude and Bradshaw, as they will bring 
a good deal more on the market than any of 
the others. They also bear well and the trees 
are as hardy as any of them. We get whips or 
young trees direct from the nurseries in Roch¬ 
ester when they are two or three years old. 
They will begin to bear so that they will pay a 
profit in three years after they are set out. 
We set the trees in rows 15 feet apart. 

In the spring after the plums have grown 
about as large as marbles, we go through the 
yards and pick half of them, that is, where 
they hang in clusters. By thus thinning 
them out, the ones that are left do much better, 
grow to a much larger size, and so command a 
much better price in the fall. 

We send all our fruit to New York, and it 
nets us an average of about $1.75 a bushel. 
After once setting out the trees there is practi¬ 
cally no expense with it with the exception of 
thinning in the spring and picking in the fall. 
The receipts from the sale of the fruit are almost 
clear gain. 

In shipping to the New York market or any 
other market, the plums ought to be picked 
before they are dead ripe. In fact, they 
should be picked rather green, when the plum 
is hard or just before it begins to get soft. 
They will ripen faster after they are picked. By 
picking this way and putting them up in eight 
pound baskets, we get a much better price than 
by sending the same fruit loose in large baskets. 

I would strongly advise'^anyWine in the 
poultry business, if they are in a climate where 


plums can be grown at all, to set out trees. 11 
will surely prove a very good investment. 

Reliable Poultry Journal. 

BEGINNING WITH POULTRY AND FRUIT. 

A Profitable Combination of Fruit Orchard and 
Poultry Yards. 

BY WM. L. HOWELL, GENESEO, N. Y. 

Four years ago I discovered that our poultry 
plant was too small, and I decided to buy more 
land and start anew. I added seven acres, on 
which I erected a new dwelling, a barn, a shop 
and four poultry houses. Knowing by past 
experience that in fancy poultry of any breed, 
and especially the Buff breed, the prerequisite 
to success is good shade; therefore the first 
thing after my buildings were finished I turned 
my attention to shade—and the question arose 
what shade trees can I have, that will at once 
grow the quickest and produce the best results. 
My former experience had taught me what to 
avoid and again what to cultivate. Owing to 
the rapid growth of the peach tree, I planted 
plenty of them near the buildings. Desiring 
a variety of fruit and knowing the profit in it, I 
literally filled my acreage with apple, pear, 
plum, cherry and quince trees. Under the 
peach trees near the house I kept the water 
fountains, and during the hot summer days 
changed the water three times a day, each 
time emptying the warm water around the 
trees, thus keeping the soil loose and the 
droppings soaked well into the ground. I have 
thereby produced the phenomenal growth of 
from one-half inch in diameter when planted 
to four inches in diameter in four years. These 
peach trees stand 10 feet high and measure 10 
feet across the boughs. 

In setting out the trees in poultry yards I 
dig holes for them deep enough so that they 
will set in the ground as deep or just a little 
deeper than they did in the nursery row; 
which is usually where the bulb or little bunch 
shows where the tree was budded. The hole 
must be broad enough so that every root will 
lay straight. When the tree is in position I 
put some of the finest, best soil I have around 
the roots, working it tightly until the roots are 
all well covered (two inches) with soil, this I firm 
down well; then I put two inches thick of 
well rotted manure on top of this soil, using 
care that no manure comes in contact with the 
stem or trunk of the tree, or any of the roots. 


118 


COM BIN A TION EGG-FARMING. 


Then I fill the hole nearly full of dirt and pack 
it as hard as possible with the foot; then put 
loose soil on top and leave perfectly loose. 
Peach, pear, apple, plum, cherry and quince 
trees have done splendidly for me with this 
treatment, but best of all the peach, and the 
plum next. 

In rich land that is light, sandy and well- 
drained, there is no other fruit tree that I have 
tried to cultivate that will make so strong a 
growth, with the same treatment, as the peach 
tree. The profit in fruit growing in this way 
is always greater because of the superior 
quality, especially of the variety known as the 
Crawford, which is always large and fine. 

Of course it might not seem practicable to 
treat all fruit trees with such care. At the 
same time, a fruit tree is like a child, the more 
carefully it is cared for and nourished the 
richer and finer is the fruit, (character). All 
the fruit trees I have named will be greatly 
benefited by being treated in the foregoing 
manner. They will do much better in chicken 
yards, as the poultry helps to keep the soil 
loose around the roots, which is very essential 
to the life of the tree. The chickens take all the 
insects away too. I have never heard of a 
tree being damaged by borers where chickens 
were allowed to run. It seems needless to add 
that in a very short space of time the grounds 
in chicken yards will do double duty and bring 
double profit in extremely fine products. 

Reliable Poultry Journal. 

Pruning to Improve the Trees. 

Do not be afraid to cut back your trees and 
vines, for herein lies the secret of success in the 
fruit business. Plant well and prune well. 
Cut your trees and vines back hard and let the 
strength go to the roots, and the third and 
fourth years they will grow right along and 
surprise you. When spring comes, what a 
beautiful sight are your yards full of peach, 
plum and quince trees in full bloom, with 
their pink, white, and pink and white blossoms 
and the air full of their fragrance; the chickens 
under them full of life, enjoying the first spring 
weather, the flies, bugs and insects buzzing 
around. Did you ever notice a place void of 
vegetation? How still at night, with not a 
sound. Then go among the trees, the grass 
and the shrubs, especially on a summer evening. 
What a constant buzzing! Why the difference? 
Insects want vegetation—so do chickens. 


Poultry must have shade, why not fruit trees? 

The cuts need no explanation. The idea is 
to show the fruit trees and vines among the 
poultry yards. Contrast the trees with the 
buildings and fences so as to judge their growth 
in the few years they have been planted. Let 
me say right here the Japan plum trees are 
wonderful growers, especially the Abundance. 
Why not help pay your feed bills and have 
plenty of fruit to eat? Why not enjoy the 
beautiful sight of the trees in blossom? Think 
of the returns from the fruit, especially in those 
years when chicks do not do well. Think of 
the comfort of your fowls. Compare a flock 
of Pekin ducks or White Wyandottespn a yard 
planted with plum trees, the fences covered 
with grape vine's, with another flock in a yard 
where there is only artificial shade. 

Allow me to leave my subject here and give 
the beginners in the poultry business a little 
advice. Plant fruit trees, vines and bushes. 
Even if you are on a rented place and have a 
fair number of years (five to ten) it will pay 
you to plant grape vines, or even peach trees. 

Reliable Poultry Journal. 

Poultry and Bees, an Ideal Combination, 

It is quite safe to say that nearly every person 
has some ideal which he is trying to attain. 
The question Avas asked a man in the city of 
New York the other day if he intended to 
folloAV up the busy, hustling, traveling city 
AAork all his life. “No,” said he, “after the 
children ha\ r e grown up, or after the mortgage 
has been paid, I intend to settle cIoaatl in the 
country, and keep poultry and bees.” Hence 
this article. Now I Avish to suggest right here 
that you do not wait until the mortgage is paid 
before you make a start, but begin at once, 
this very spring, and then from the earnings 
of your little side issue Avipe out the debt which 
enslaves you. That is just what I did. We 
should try to enjoy life as we go along, and try 
to keep young in spirit if not in years. 

It seems to me that poultry and bees make 
an ideal combination. The readers of Farm- 
Poultry are no doubt more or less familiar 
with the life and habits of the hen, so I will 
devote a little attention to bees, which work 
for nothing and board themselves, and at the 
close of the season divide with you their earnings 
Nearly every one who has a small open space 
has felt at one time or other a longing for the 
pleasant occupation of tending bees; but 


119 


PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 



most people are frightened away from the 
undertaking by the difficulties which seem to 
present themselves. In the first place they 
are puzzled to know how to make a proper 
beginning, and what the requirements really 
are; for it goes without saying that no person 
wishes to invest very much capital in an uncer¬ 
tainty. A little looking into the question will 
usually disclose the fact that someone within 
a radius of five or six miles of you is a bee 
keeper of some degree. If this is the case 
it is well to buy your bees close at home, even 
if they are common bees, and in a box hive. 
Of course it is best to begin with only one 
colony, which, in the spring of the year, consists 
of one queen, a few hundred drones, and from 
twenty to fifty thousand workers. This will 
keep you fully occupied at first, and furnish 
you with experience which would be costly if 
obtained on a larger scale. 

Your colony of common bees in a box hive 
should not cost you more than from three to 
five dollars. Afterwards you can transfer 
them into a movable-frame hive and introduce 
an Italian queen. As the queen is the mother 
of all the bees, in the hive, you will soon have 
a race of thoroughbreds. 

It has been my experience and that of bee 
keepers generally, that there are fewer risks 
and larger profits in comparison to the amount 
of capital invested in bee keeping than any 
other business. Of course, emergencies do 
arise, but if they are met by ordinary foresight 
and common sense, they are not likely to result 
disastrously. For detailed instructions, such 
as it is beyond the scope of this article to give, 
there are numerous bee books to help the 
novice over the rough places in this delightful 
branch of agriculture. Kev. L. L. Langstroth, 


to whom great, honor 
is due, is the father 
of American beekeep¬ 
ing; indeed, it was 
through him that the 
pursuit has been de¬ 
veloped from a game 
of chance to the great 
industry that it is 
today; for it was his 
invention of the 
movable-frame hive 
that has changed the 
occupation oftheapiar- 
ist from one of pleasure 
but uncertain profits into a well-paying business. 

The illustration herewith shows a growth of 
six years ’ duration, or in other words, an old 
box hive transformed into a cosy little apiary 
of sixty colonies. The crop of honey has 
multiplied from two pounds to two thousand. 
Who can fort.ell the possibilities of the busy 
little bee? 

And now as to profits. As I am but an 
amateur, and bee culture is still only a side 
issue with me, possibly you may not consider 
my own testimony valuable; though my bees 
bring in a tidy, easily earned, and ever increas¬ 
ing addition to my regular income. It is a 
conservative estimate of the bee keepers 
generally, however, that each hive should 
bring in about five dollars a year; in favorable 
seasons, considerable more. And as each hive 
also throws off a swarm annually, it is easy to 
see how a little capital invested in bees will 
grow and multiply, besides yielding a very 
fair percent of profit. 

In locating an apiary and arranging the 
hives much taste can be displayed, but a few 
general principles should always be observed. 
It is an advantage to have the hives facing 
eastward or southward in order to have the 
morning sunshine in the entrances of the hives, 
which induces the bees to fly forth early in 
cpiest of the nectar which collects in the flowers 
during the night. When the hives are in this 
position they will also be protected from the 
north and west winds. A hedge of evergreen 
or honeysuckle will be a further protection and 
make a splendid enclosure. A few shade trees 
in the apiary are an advantage, and invariably 
attract the swarms which may issue from the 
hives at swarming time. 

F. G. Herman, in Farm Poultry. 


120 








Chapter IX 


SELLING STOCK FOR BREEDING PURPOSES AND SELLING EGGS FOR HATCHING. 
WHEN AND HOW TO ADVERTISE. POULTRY FARM BOOKKEEPING. 


study of the growth of a poultry busi¬ 
ness is extremely interesting, and is 
certainly most instructive to the 
beginner in poultry work. The 
accounts which we read of highly successful 
poultrymen contain a valuable lesson for the 
beginners, because even 7 one of the prominent 
poultrymen of today were the beginners of 
five, ten, fifteen, or twenty years ago, and the 
success to which they have attained has been 
the result of a simple, natural growth. The 
selling of stock for breeding purposes and the 
selling of eggs for hatching is a natural develop¬ 
ment of the starting in the poultry business 
and having thoroughbred stock themselves. 
All of the great poultrymen of today began 
with raising poultry and eggs for market; 
they realized that thoroughbred stock laid the 
most eggs and produced the best market 
poultry, so equipped themselves with thorough¬ 
bred stock. What more natural, then, than 
that they should offer to sell of their thorough¬ 
bred stock, and eggs for hatching, once they had 
secured it for themselves? Going into the sale 
of stock for breeding purposes and eggs for 
hatching is but a natural development, and is 
practically the old, old story of “first the blade, 
then the ear, then the full corn in the car.” 

The giants of the poultry world, Hawkins, 
Duston, Bright, E. B. Thompson, Wyckoff, 
Knapp Bros., Fishel, McClave—all began by 
raising poultry and eggs for market. All the 
difference between these great poultrymen and 
those who started similarly is, that these great 
poultrymen of today did not stop with raising 
poultry and eggs for market; they continued 
to grow', and by the aid of printer’s ink have 
developed businesses of $5,000, $10,000, 

$15,000 or $20,000 a year, with their conse¬ 
quently splendid profits; and others can do 
exactly the same if they will but follow 7 in the 
path where these men have led. There are 
just as great (yes, greater!) opportunities today 


than in the years ago w r hen these men started. 
The poultry business is growing steadily, and 
the demand for stock for breeding purposes and 
eggs for hatching is ten times greater today 
than it was ten years ago, and in all probability 
will be ten times greater ten years hence than 
it is today; those of us who can look back 
20 or 30 years fully believe that. The essential 
thing is that we outfit ourselves with the best 
of stock of the best variety, and then tell the 
buying public that we have got that stock for 
breeding or eggs for hatching; the public, 
ever anxious to buy the best, will do the rest. 

In making a start in the thoroughbred 
poultry business a most essential thing is that 
we start w r ith good stock, by getting the very 
best that our money can buy. Most beginners 
have little idea how much time is saved (and 
time is money!) by buying good stock. A 
most interesting example of this is seen in the 
egg-farm of Mr. Henry Van Dreser, the story 
of which farm is told in Chapter V. Mhen 
his step-son convinced him that poultry keeping 
w'as a profitable branch of farm w'ork, he went 
to Mr. Wyckoff and bought 30 birds of his great 
laying stock, and thereby outfitted himself 
with stock which had in it the accelerated 
momentum of many years of breeding,—first 
for a great egg production, and second for 
standard quality; by making this start Mr. Van 
Dreser bridged many years of preliminary 
work at one step, and other beginners would 
be wise to follow his example. 

Another point, breed but one variety. A 
most common mistake of the beginner is to 
think he will start with several varieties and 
thus be better prepared to meet the wants of 
the public. The whole of a lifetime is not too 
long to get the best out of one variety, and the 
man who devotes himself to one, makes that one 
his specialty, and gets out of that one the best 
that there is in it,—will have achieved a great 
success. The great successes among poultrymen 



121 




PRO! [TABLE EGG FARMING. 


today as a rule, are thosejvho have made their 
reputations with one variety; the men who get 
the largest prices, who do the largest and best 
business, are those who are devoting themselves 
to the breeding of one variety and making that 
a specialty; who are putting into the develop¬ 
ment of their chosen variety all the energy and 
ability with which they are endowed. 

How and When to Advertise. 

Having made a start with good, thoroughbred 
stock, the next thing is to let the public know it 
and solicit orders by advertising. The mer¬ 
chant or storekeeper tells the public who he is 
and what he offers for sale by signs over his 
door and on his windows, and by displaying 
samples of his wares in his windows or beside 
his door; that is one way of advertising, and 
such advertisements are likely to be seen by 
' those passing the store. Another method of 
telling people who one is and what one has for 
sale is by publishing an announcement in the 
advertising columns of the local paper; the 
card in the local paper is another form of the 
“sign” or the “window display.” For the 
poultryman who has breeding stock or eggs for 
hatching for sale the poultry and farm papers 
are “local.” Through them he will reach the 
public that is interested in the goods he offers 
for sale, and it is in them he will make his 
announcements. 

Advertising is simply telling the public 
something; if you advertise breeding stock 
and eggs for hatching you are telling the public 
that you have such for sale. Without such 
telling the public, no one outside your own 
immediate neighborhood will know of you and 
know-what you have for sale; advertising is the 
first step towards making sales to the general 
public; it is the one road to a successful business 
with thoroughbred stock and eggs for hatching. 

Make your advertising truthful; tell the 
public exactly what you have to sell, do not 
overstate the case nor misrepresent in any way, 
shape or manner. Make a study of advertising; 
much depends upon how you tell your story. 
Some advertisers rely upon an attractive 
design or telling illustration to catch the eye 
and hold the attention of the possible customer. 
At any rate, make your ads. attractive and 
convincing so that they will both catch the 
attention and then hold it; that is the way to 
solicit trade. 


When to advertise is, of course, when you 
have something to sell. The great bulk of the 
sales of breeding stock are in the fall and the 
early winter; the sales of eggs for hatching are 
almost wholly in the spring. Two-thirds of the 
poultry advertising is in the fall and spring, 
but the most successful advertisers are those 
who keep their ads. running all the year round. 
The beginner is not likely to do that, and as he 
probably is not equipped with stock with 
which to fill a large number of orders he will 
almost certainly begin small, and increase his 
ads. as his ability to handle business increases. 
That is the way great poultrymen all began, 
they advertised in a small way at first, and as 
trade increased they raised more stock and 
increased the size of their ads. and the number 
of papers they advertised in. 

If one advertises in several papers he needs 
to keep a record of the calls he gets from each 
one. A simple memorandum book will serve 
the purpose. Ascertain by the record of sales. 
which papers pay, and increase the space used 
in those papers; cutting off those which have 
not brought paying sales. Put system into the 
business; don’t trust to guess-work. Many 
customers will tell you in their letters where 
they saw your ad., and it is an easy matter to 
write a note to such as omit to mention it and 
ask them; enclose an addressed return postal 
card and they "will almost certainly tell you. 
Business is business, and the poultry business 
is exactly like every other. Make a study of 
it; make a study of your advertising; make the 
ads. read right, make them attractive and to 
the point; then they will draw custom. 

Farmers Who Advertise. 

The marketing of the farm produce is a 
business by itself and demands the most careful 
consideration. 

There is no question but that the aggregate 
loss to farmers from selling their goods in 
a poor market is very greot. In a 
certain New England watering place, for 
instance, I have known eggs, before the advent 
of the summer visitors, to be almost a drug on 
the market; while at another city, only thirty 
miles distant, they were in brisk demand at 
ten cents more on the dozen. This is a great 
difference in price and was far more than the 
extra cost of transportation, which could 
hardly have exceeded one cent on the dozen. 
And yet very few farmers took advantage of 


122 


WHEN AND HOW TO ADVERTISE. 


the situation, the inertia of long-settled habit 
keeping most of them in their accustomed 
channel of trade. 

I also recall an instance in my own farming, 
when 1 had a lot of turkeys to dispose of, as I 
hoped, at a fancy price. I sent one wagon 
load to a wealthy residence town and another 
to a manufacturing city, the two men in 
charge being about equally expert as salesmen. 
The lot sold in the manufacturing city brought 
twenty cents a pound (two cents above the 
price current of best turkeys), while the lot 
sold in the residence town brought twenty-five 
cents and sold quicker. The manufacturing 
city was the larger place of the two, but it had 
not the class of people who were willing to pay 
outside prices. 

Another instance that comes to my mind of 
advantageously seeking a good market, regard¬ 
less of a considerable distance, is that of a 
New England farmer whom I know well. He 
lives in a very fertile reach of country, but his 
farm is fifteen miles from the nearest railroad 
station, and from there fifteen more to the 
city. Most of his neighbors “trade” at the 
country store, but this farmer goes twice a 
week to the city, taking with him large quanti¬ 
ties of butter, eggs, poultry, fruit and farm 
produce. In the city he hires two wagons, 
one to deliver the wholesale orders, and the 
other for the family trade. 

It is needless to say that he pays more for 
these teams than he would for the same accom¬ 
modation in his native town, and one of his 
neighbors reflecting on this “blame inordinate 
expense,” observed that “payin’ out what that 
crazy cuss does in car fares and for teams in the 
city, he didn’t see how he made his dum’d 
business pay—and he didn't more’n half b’leeve 
it did pay, either.” And yet the “crazy 
cuss” is today rated as one of the wealthiest 
men of his town, while his critic, though 
owning by inheritance a larger and better 
farm, is comparatively poor. It is right for 
me to add, however, that the latter is an 
acknowledged oracle in the country store, an 
accepted authority on all things, from points 
of theology to the digging of wells—to say 
nothing of his neighbors’ affairs. It is not 
given to one man to compass all the heights of 
greatness, and personally I never knew a 
thrifty, prosperous farmer who was a country- 
store oracle. 


How is a good market poorly utilized? By 
dumping into it cartloads of stuff to be sold by 
commission houses, thus losing not only the 
middleman’s profit but sharing with the 
commission man a large part of the profit that 
properly belongs to the farmer himself by 
letting gilt-edged fancy goods go along with the 
indifferent or poor to fetch what they may 
chance to bring; and last but not least by 
sending inferior goods which bring so low a 
price as hardly to offset the cost of transpor¬ 
tation. The competition in farm products of 
ordinary quality is tremendous, often running 
the price down to a very low figure. It is the 
superior goods that pay and that place the 
farmer on such a footing in the market that he 
can boldly state what he asks for them, instead 
of humbly inquiring from some third-class 
dealer what he will give. Be assured that in 
every large city there is a class of 'people who are 
willing to pay the very best of prices for farm 
products if they can have the very best of goods. 

This brings me to the proper means of 
reaching this class of customers and introduces 
another important factor in the marketing of 
goods, advertising, a thing as essential to the 
farmer as to any other business man. It is 
true that, having once got a foothold and 
established a reputation for his goods, he may 
need much less advertising than at the start; 
but it is doubtful if he can wholly dispense 
with it at any time. Advertising in various 
ways, has long been practiced by one class of 
farmers—the stock-breeders; indeed we should 
hardly know how to get along without it. To 
my mind it is clear that it would very often 
be of just as much value in other branches; 
but custom—a strange thing, I have sometimes 
thought, in the powerful grip that it has on 
farmers—has long restricted advertising to 
stock-breeders alone. 

“Advertisin’ never created a customer!” 
said a country sage to me once. Perhaps it 
does not create customers—though I have 
known cases where this might be questioned— 
but it brings together the man who wants to sell 
and the man who wants to buy. 

The whole matter of marketing farm products 
resolves itself into what is necessary in any 
well-conducted enterprise: a careful study of 
the situation and the exercise of common sense* 
1 would say, in conclusion, what I have often 
said before when speaking of the possibilities 
of agriculture, that, as the demand for the 


123 


PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


best farm products is always in excess of the 
supply, he who has them has a great advantage 
in the market if only he knows how to profit by 
the situation. And if he has practiced a 
proper economy in their production and follows 
up with sagacity and perseverance the advan¬ 
tages that the market conditions afford, he 
need have no fear of the result; his reward 
will be ample. 

Saturday Eveniruj Post. 

Common Sense in Poultry Advertising. 

Plain common sense is today the greatest 
factor of success in any business. It is a rare 
article—this co-called common sense. As a 
matter of fact, it is decidedly uncommon. 
Another name for it is genius. The man who 
believes in “ luck ” does not possess it. The 
man who conducts his business on the let-’er- 
go-Gallagher plan does not possess it. Natural 
ability counts for much; education is a great 
help; “a liking for the business” is a happy 
factor; but plain, hard headed, keep-in-the- 
middle-of-the-road, won’t say-die common 
sense is the real stuff! 

Take the matter of poultry advertising. I, 
a poultryman, have, we will say, some utility 
fowls to sell. Out there in the world some¬ 
where is a man who wants to buy them. I 
can reach that man through the poultry or 
farm paper he reads. That is simple enough; 
but what shall I tell him? 

The plain facts, the exact truth. It should 
be as though I met him face to face, and said: 
“Sir, come and see for yourself. I have for 
sale ten hens of Barred Plymouth Rocks, nine 
yearling hens, and a two-year-old cock—fowls 
of a strain that has been bred systematically 
for large size, great vigor, rich, yellow skin and 
increased egg production. If you want fowls 
for eggs and meat, mine will suit you. The 
hens will average seven and one-half pounds 
each. Two of them weigh nine pounds apiece. 
The cock is a ten pounder. Not one of them 
has ever been sick, to my knowledge. They 
are in perfect health today. Six of the hens 
are now laying. Their eggs are considerably 
larger than the average store egg, and brown in 
color. My price for the pen is $15.” 

That’s easy, isn’t it? It’ll do the business. 
No use to tell your man that the name of your 
outfit is the Purling Brook Poultry Farm, 
comprising eleven acres of land. He does not 
want to buy the name, nor your farm. Tell 


him about what he does want to buy! Tell him 
this, and only this, in the advertising space you 
buy, and in the letters you write. Burn in on 
his mind precisely those facts, those points 
that he is most interested in. Do not waste a 
line, not one word. 

Know, as a man who is well posted in his 
business does know, why a prospective cus¬ 
tomer wants what he wants; then tell him the 
facts in a plain, straightforward, common-sense 
way. He will discover quickly enough that 
you know what is what—and every sensible 
man much prefers to deal with men who know 
their business. 

So much by the way of selling utility fowls. 
Now about selling fancy stock. If you have 
fancy stock for sale, put fancy points into your 
ad., into your talk as a salesman. Show by 
the wording of your ad. that you know per¬ 
fectly veil what is desirable in exhibition poul¬ 
try, in stock with which to win prizes or breed 
exhibition specimens. I)o not waste a single 
sentence. Make every word count in the art 
of winning the confidence of the would-be pur¬ 
chaser by convincing him that you know, as 
well as he, just what he wants. If you haven’t 
what he wants, it should end there; but if you 
have, do your plain, common sense, level best 
to make him realize that fact. 

Business is business. The poultry business 
is business. Do not overlook this fact for one 
minute. People w r ho are in the market to buy 
poultry do not want to “ play horse.” Nine 
out of ten of them want to make money. They 
need to make money! Parting with a portion 
of their capital in hand is, with most of them, a 
serious matter. It is business. Leave out, 
therefore, the fancy rhetoric and big words— 
leave out of your ad. everything but the solid 
facts. Provided what you have for sale is in 
demand, nothing will have greater w r eight than 
facts; nothing will do your business interests 
more good than the simple truth. This is 
common sense. Have what the trade demands, 
tell the truth about it in a convincing way, and 
the buyers will find you out. 

A few r thoughts now on the subject of season¬ 
able advertising. Use common sense in that 
too. How often do we see in the July, August 
and September issues of poultry papers ads. 
offering “eggs for hatching.” Men who adver¬ 
tise like this do worse than throw their good money 
away. They pav the publishers of papers to tell 
the poultry world what? That here are men 


124 


WHEN AND HOW TO ADVERTISE. 


who neglect their business, who neglect their 
own interests, who are not really in the poultry 
business. They may imagine they are, but 
they are not. They really give precious little 
attention to the essentials of the business. 

Is it not logical and reasonable for a would- 
be customer to ask himself this question: “ If 
these men thus neglect as important a business 
matter as their advertising, what about the 
other part of their business? ” Does not such 
a “sign.” hung up on the printed page for 
thousands to read say to the interested public, 
“ Here is a man who is not in real earnest. Here 
is a man who is either careless, neglectful or 
incompetent?” Is it not natural for the think¬ 
ing man also to conclude, “ Such a man is unsafe 
to do business with. We would be foolish to 
entrust our orders with him. Men who neglect 
their own important interests cannot safely be 
trusted with ours.” 

Is not this conclusion natural and reasonable? 
It is, in the main. There are three months’ 
poultrvmen and there are twelve months’ 
poultrymen. The latter are “in the business” 
all the time. It is business with them. They 
are the men who “make things go.” They are 
the safe men with whom to deal. An “eggs 
for hatching” ad., if run out of season because 
of neglect on the part of the man who pays for 
the space, is due warning to buyers at this end 
of the line that the man at the other end of 
the line is not attending to his business—and 
the trade goes elsewhere, into safer hands. 

Attend to business, those of you who crave 
success. Put into your work all the brains you 
have yourself and all that you can hire. Even 
then some other fellow, a competitor, will crowd 
you. 

G. M. Curtis in Agricultural Advertising. 

About Advertising. 

There are a great many people advertising 
who don’t get the returns they should because 
they don’t advertise what the people want— 
even when they have it. They advertise the 
qualities they prize mostly in their stock, 
without apparently considering that more 
people would value the stock for qualities to 
which they attach less importance. 

We know of more than one such man who 
has stock that is both useful and beautiful, but 
will not in his ads. call attention to the utility 
value of his strain, because he fears to do so 
will injure his reputation as a breeder of exhi¬ 


bition fowls. We think they are mistaken in 
this. As long as their fowls can win as they 
have won now and won in the past, they need 
have no fears of hurting their reputation as 
prize winners by advertising their useful quali¬ 
ties. On the other hand, they can by adver¬ 
tising those qualities attract the attention of 
that class of buyers who want fowls principally 
for eggs and meat, but don’t want scrub or 
mongrel stock. 

We don’t think breeders generally realize 
how large this class is or how well it would pay 
them to cater to its wants. These are not 
the people who want something for nothing. 
They are willing to pav a fair price for what 
they want—and what they want is stock not 
quite good enough for No. 1 breeding, yet fairly 
good. Every large breeder has lots of that 
stock to sell, and we think most of them find it 
the hardest stock to handle, because the people 
who buy such birds so often buy them with 
the expectation of getting a winner or a bird 
that will breed winners for $2.00. Of course 
they are disappointed; but if the same bird 
were from stock bred also for practical qualities, 
the man who purchased with useful points 
first in his thought will not be found among 
the “ kickers.” 

We wish all breeders who have this class of 
stock could see the letter's that come to this 
office asking where just such stock, of one 
breed or another can be obtained. We print 
some of them occasionally; but probably not 
one in a hundred received is printed. We 
answer them all. The stereotyped replies are 
“We don’t know.” or “We cannot say,” aid 
“ Consult our advertising columns.” The latter 
we use as often as possible; but too often we 
know it is useless to refer inquiries to the adver¬ 
tisements. 

There is one encouraging feature, though, 
and that is, the number of men who advertise 
the practical qualities of their stock is con¬ 
stantly increasing, (it is more than five times as 
large today as it was five years ago), and in 
that number are included a few of the best 
known breeders in the country. We not, too, 
that these men are among our best advertisers, 
and we cannot see that they are using any less 
space in other poultry papers than they used to. 

Now there is a better—larger and on the 
whole more profitable—demand for hardy, 
quick growing, early maturing, prolific laying 
stock of average or medium standard excellence 


125 


PROFITABLE EGG FARMING. 


than for anything else. And breeders who have 
such stock to sell will find that they can sell it 
to the best advantage by advertising its practi¬ 
cal qualities most, just because an advertise¬ 
ment that does not attract attention to those 
qualities of the class it should reach. If a man 
advertises, “ Stock mated for best results,” or 
“Winners wherever shown,” and trusts to his 
circulars or to correspondence to make known 
the excellencies of his fowls, he makes a mistake. 
His circular and letters go to people incited by 
his ad. to make further inquiries, and people 
who don’t find what they want mentioned in the 
ad. don’t generally make further inquiry in 
that direction. And a man must have what he 
advertises. He must deal honestly with every 
one. An advertiser’s sins are not long in 
finding him out. A breeder might advertise 
his stock as good utility stock when it was not, 
and for a little while catch trade that way. 
He would soon be found out, and would find it 
difficult to sell stock on any representation; if, 
indeed, he could still find poultry papers willing 
to take his- advertisements. 

For the class of stock we have described there 
is a good demand. We believe that the demand 
is largely in excess of the supply, even while 
we are sure that the actual supply is much 
greater than the visible supply, i. e. the amount 
of stock for sale by those advertising it. If you 
have what the people want, tell them so. You 
cannot do business with them unless they know 
where to find you. —Farm Poultry. 

Rewards of Success. 

The rewards of success in poultry work are 
most satisfactory and come in the shape of a 
liberal profit for eggs and poultry sold, and 
a comfortable living. It is “the living” that 
we are all after, and it is safe to say that there 
is not one branch of farm work which gives a 
comfortable living more easily than poultry 
raising. The market is sure; the great con¬ 
suming public is calling for more and more 
choice meat and selected fresh eggs, and is able 
and willing to pay. The public will do its part 
if we will but do ours and produce the goods 
most wanted. The successes chronicled in 
this volume are only a few of those that could 
be described; they have been selected as typical 
of what can be done by intelligent, persevering 
effort, with the thought that the story of the 
success of others will encourage those just 
starting in poultry work to push on to the goal. 


Conditions of Success. 

The reasons why poultry is still thought 
nothing of upon many farms are not far to seek; 
but the curious thing is that they pay the wosrt 
just on that system of “ a few round the home¬ 
stead ” so recommended by certain writers. 
In days when other branches of farming paid 
well, a few fowls were kept just to supply the 
house, and left to the women; thus the farmer 
never knew anything about them, and never 
thought of them as having money in them. 
Any outlay was never thought of, or return 
for it believed in; the fowls were kept on till 
very old, left to breed together indiscriminately. 
The stock was mostly of bad layers, and half 
the eggs were stolen by the farm hands. All 
this must, of course, be changed if profit is to 
be realized. A paying stock must be selected 
and thereafter bred for laying or for table; 
necessary food and expenses must not be 
grudged; and eggs especially must be syste¬ 
matically collected and marketed promptly. 

As to the stock, it is doubtful if a hen or 
pullet that lays less than 100 eggs in a year 
pays at all, while it has been proved .over and 
over again that beyond 150 is perfectly attain¬ 
able; while many farm-hens lay under 60, and 
do not account for all of these. All old stock 
must first be got rid of, and then selection must 
follow. There are strains now bred and 
advertised for laying properties, as distinct 
from mere “fancy” points, from which a good 
start can be made in breeding stock; but if 
any farmer has a prejudice against “pure 
breeds, ” there is another course. Let him 
watch any neighboring market, and get birds 
or eggs from any neighbor who brings in a good 
lot of eggs in winter. After that he must select 
for himself, hatching chickens only from his 
best layers, and crossing his pullets or hens 
with cockerels also from the best layers, and so 
on. It is simple as ABC, and in this way the 
average—that is, “ the thing his hens lay on ”— 
will be infallibly raised. If he or his people 
cannot watch the birds sufficiently to know 
the best layers, he can still do much by the 
three simple tests of which lay early in winter 
or spring; which are down earliest from the 
perch; and which lay earliest in the day. 
Broadly, these tests will at least pick out the 
better layers, and enable him to discard the 
really bad ones. 

From Wright’s New Book of Poultry. 


126 


WHEN AND HOW TO ADVERTISE. 


Poultry-Farm Bookkeeping. 

No one thing is more important than keeping 
an account of the expenses and receipts of 
poultry work, and a carefully kept account 
would most decidedly increase the appreciation 
of that br'anch of farm work. One chief cause 
of the indifferent attention given to poultry 
on the farm is that the income from it almost 
always comes in dribblets, and the farmer, hav¬ 
ing his mind on greater things,—as for example 
marketing a lot of grain, or a bunch of fat 
steers, or a drove of hogs,—finds it not easy to 
realize that “ many mickles make a muckle.” 
If one keeps an account of the eggs received 
and poultry eaten or sold and puts against it 
the comparatively small amount expended for 
food, etc., his appreciation of the profitableness 
of the poultry would be decidedly increased. 

Keeping accounts is not at all the complicated 
and difficult matter that many farmers imagine. 
The writer’s method was simple and served the 
purpose admirably. A small and inexpensive 
blank book was purchased and two pages 
given to each month’s accounts. On the left 
hand page was entered the debits, that is, the 
sums paid out, and on the right hand page was 
entered the credits, or sums received. The 
number of eggs laid by the hens each day was 
jotted down on a calendar against each day’s 
date; at the end of the week the total 
of the eggs laid during the week was added 
up and entered in the book to the credit of the 
fowls, at the average market price of the week. 
Fowls or chicks sold were entered to the credit 
of the poultry account, and fowls or chicks 
eaten were credited at. a fair, average value. 


Each month’s totals were footed up, at the 
end of the year two pages following the Sep¬ 
tember account were used for entering the 
total amounts received and expended each 
month, which was then footed up and a balance 
struck. 

We found it a decided advantage to begin 
the poultry year October 1st, because that was 
the most convenient time for ending the account 
of the old birds and beginning the account of 
the new; obviously, however, the poultry 
account may begin with the first of any month 
of the year; it is much more important that a 
systematic account be kept than that it begin 
at one particular time or another. 

In the systematic manner outlined above the 
poultry accounts can be kept, and at the end of 
the year the farmer knows exactly what the 
poultry expenditures and receipts have been 
and how much profit the poultry has paid. 
Not the least merit of the account keep¬ 
ing is that it induces a very decided in¬ 
crease in appreciation of poultry profits. We 
know of many instances where the keeping of 
so simple an account as we have outlined has 
proved to the farmer that poultry was tde best 
paying branch of farm work; with such con¬ 
vincing proof before him the farmer would 
seem to be foolish if he did not increase that 
branch of his farm work. This is as it should 
be. We ought to work along the line of least 
resistance,—we should push the line of work 
that pays us best. The opportunities of profit 
from poultry are beyond belief,—we should only 
need to have it proved to us by clean figures to 
determine us to multiply our poultry work, 
and reap the reward in multiplied profits. 


A SAMPLE POULTRY ACCOUNT. 


DR. 

1902 

Oct. 1 To 


1902 

Grain on hand. $18.50 Oct. 3 By 



“ 5 bushels wheat, .83. 

. 4.15 

6 


“ 2 Bags cracked corn. 

. >.. 2.40 “ 

7 


“ 1 “ corn meal. 

. 1.25 


12 

“ 2 “ beef scrap. 

. 4.50 

13 

18 

“ 5 “ barley. 

. 7.25 

14 

20 

“ 1 Roll wire netting. 

. 2.65 

20 


“ 1 pound Staples. 

.15 

21 

24 

“ 5 bushels Wheat, .84. 

. 4.20 


28 

“ 3 bags cracked corn. 

. 3.60 


31 

“ Advertising . .. 

. 8.50 

22 




23 




27 




28 



$ 57.15 



CR. 


1 Chicken. $ .50 

3 Wyandotte hens. 4.50 

283 eggs at 32c . 7.56 

1 Cockerel.. . 3.00 

2 Chickens . 1.25 

301 eggs at 33c. S.28 

2 Wyandotte Cockerells. 10.00 

1 Plymouth Rock Cockerel. 4.00 

293 eggs, 34c. 8.32 

3 Wandotte Cockerels.. 9.00 

35 chickens, 12c. 24.00 

6 Hens and Cockerel. 18.00 

2 Chickens..". 1.25 

46 “ .12c. 26.80 

223eggs, 38c. 7.07 

1 Plymouth Rock Cockerel. 4.00 


$137.53 


[Xote—The item, "grain on hand ” on October 1 is due to the fact that the financial year began October 
1. Also there is three days’ egg account carried over to first entry in November, which would come Novcn. er 
4; the eggs are entered on even weeks. Editor.] 


127 
































JUL 25 1903 


INDEX. 


Advertise, Farmers who. 122 

Advertise, How and When to.121-122 

Advertising, About. 125 

A Study of Profits. 45 

Barred Plymouth Rooks. 24 

Bees and Poultry. 119 

Better Layers and More of Them. 36 

Bookkeeping, Poultry Farm. 127 

Brahmas, Light. 31 

Breeding for Eggs. 43 

Buff Orpingtons . 30 

Buff Plymouth Rocks. 26 

Buff Wynandottes . 29 

Chapter I. Natural Habits of the Hen. 11 

Chapter II. Thoroughbred, or Bred to a Pur¬ 
pose . 20 

Chapter III. Pedigree Breeding for Egg Pro¬ 
duction . 33 

Chapter IV. Pullets for Layers. 52 

Chapter V. Practical Egg Farms. 59 

Chapter VI. P'oods and Feeding. 94 

Chapter VII. Catering to the Market. 110 

Chapter VIII. Combination Egg Farming. ... 115 

Chapter IX. When and How to Advertise ... . 121 

Chicks, Feeding The. 103 

Colony Plan, Advantages and Disadvantages of. 92 

Colony Plan, Egg Farms, Two. 87 

Commonsense in Poultry Advertising. 124 

Composition of Eggs. 7 

December, 4,000 Eggs in. 54 

Diet, Place of Eggs in the. 6 

Dry Feeding Method, The. 101 

Egg Farm, A Great.. . 61 

Egg Farm, A New England . . 64 

Egg Farm, Another New England. 67 

Egg Farm, Another Profitable.. 70 

Egg Farm, Mr. Wilbur’s Great. 89 

Egg Farm, Mr. VanDreser’s. 73 

Egg Farms, Practical. 59 

Egg Farms, Two Colony-Plan. 87 

Egg Farms, Two New England. 68 

Egg Production, Mating For. 37 

Egg Production, Pedigree Breeding For.33-42 


Egg, The . 8 

Eggs, Breeding For. 43 

Eggs, Description and Composition of. 7 

Eggs, Feeding Clover For. 106 

Eggs, Feeding For, How Much. 97 

Eggs, Feeding Fowls For. 94 

Eggs, 4,000 in December. 54 

Eggs, Getting Strong, Fertile. 104 

Eggs, Increase of... .. 7 

Eggs In Fall and Winter. .. 48 

Eggs in Winter. 57 

Eggs, Keeping and Marketing. 114 

Eggs, Lay 200. 41 

Eggs, Place of in the Diet. 6 

Eggs, Producing at Minimum Cost. 98 

Eggs, Storage and LTses of. 8 

Eggs, 210 per Hen, Mr. Wood’s. 48 

Eggs, Uses of.. ... 5 

Fair View Poultry Farm. 84 

Fall and Winter, Eggs in... 48 

Family Trade, Building up A. Ill 

Farmers who Advertise. 122 

Feed, What to. 109 

Feeding Clover For Eggs.,.. 106 

Feeding Fowls for Eggs. 94 


Feeding the Chicks. 103 

Future, Probabilities of The . 16 

Green Food Every Day. 50 

Green Food, Importance of. 109 

Hen, Natural Habits of The. 11 

Increase of Eggs. 7 

Introductory. 5 

Keeping the Records. 37 

Lakewood Poultry Farm. 61 

Large Production. 42 

Layers, Better, and More of Them . 36 

Laying, When the Pullets Take to. 50 

Leading Practical Varieties,The. 21 

Leghorns, Single Comb White. 22 

Light Brahmas. 31 

Maine Experiment Station Nest Boxes. 38 

Minorcas, Black . 23 

Molt, Producing an Early. 107 

Nest Boxes for Individual Records. 38 

Nest Boxes, Maine Experiment Station. 38 

Nests, Trap. 40 

Orpingtons . 30 

Pedigree Breeding for Egg Production. 42 

Place of Eggs in the Diet, The. 6 

Plum trees and Poultry. 118 

Plymouth Rock, The. 24 

Plymouth Rocks, Barred. 24 

Plymouth Rocks, Buff. 26 

Plymouth Rocks, White. 25 

Poultry Advertising, Commonsense In. 124 

Poultry and Bees, an Ideal Combination. 119 

Poultry and Fruit, Beginning With. 118 

Poultry and Plum Trees. . .. 118 

Poultry Farm Bookkeeping. 127 

Poultryman, A Typical. 81 

Practical Varieties, The Leading. 21 

Probabilities of the Future, The. 16 

Producing an Early Molt. 107 

Profitable Egg Farming. 73 

Profits, a Study of. 45 

Pinning to Improve the Trees. 119 

Pullets vs. Hens as Profitable Layers.: . . . 55 

Quality . 113 

Records, Keeping The. 37 

Rewards of Success, The. 126 

Rhode Island Reds, The. 29 

Roots for Hens, Value of. 99 

Storage and Uses of Eggs. 8 

Success, Conditions of. 126 

Success, Rewards of. 126 

Trap Nest Selection The Best. 34 

Trap Nests.. . . . . 40 

Trap Nests Necessary. 36 

Trees, Pruning to Improve The. 119 

Typical Poultryman, A. 81 

Uses of Eggs. 5-8 

Van Dreser’s Egg Farm.,. 73 

What Domestication Has Done. 15 

What to Feed. 109 

White Leghorn Poultry Yards. 71 

White Leghorns for Utility and Fancy. 84 

White Plymouth Rocks. 25 

White Wyandottes . 29 

Wilbur’s, Mr., Great Poultry Farm. 89 

Winter, Eggs in. 57 

Wyandottes, Buff . 29 

Wyandottes, White. 27 

Wyckoff Poultry Farm, The. 81 

Yard Problem, The. 79 







































































































































LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



Cyphers series on 
practical Poultry Keeping 


BOOK J— Profitable Poultry Keeping in All Branches 
book 2 —Profitable Care and Management of Poultry 
BOOK 3—Profitable Poultry Houses and Appliances 
book 4—Profitable Egg Farming 
book 5—Profitable Market Poultry 
book 6-Capons for Profit 


Other Volumes of this Series to be announced later 





































